Raid Amazones, an international adventure sports event for women, is due take place in Sri Lanka this October. The adventure games will be extending into the conflict recovering eastern district of Trincomalee.
"Raid Amazones was in Sri Lanka for the first time in 2004 and it was very successful. So we are hoping for wide exposure of sunny Sri Lanka, during wintering Europe, with the return of Raid Amazones to Sri Lanka in 2009, " an official from Sri Lanka Tourism, Shafraz Farook, told journalists at a briefing this week during an exploratory visit to the country by a team from Raid Amazones.
The adventure series is organised by the French company, ZBO and the event will see 80 teams of three women (each), from many different countries, including Sri Lanka, vying against each other in games of skill and endurance. The games include trekking, mountain biking and canoeing.
"Raide Amazones is the only event of its kind in the world. It is a special event only for women. It has been in existence now for eight years," said the owner of ZBO, Alex Debanne.
ZBO says Sri Lanka's exposure to Europe, through Raid Amazones, will go well beyond the borders of France.
"The participants will be from many countries. From France, Quebec, Belgium, Switzerland, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and even 5- 6 teams from Sri Lanka. My primary objective is to ensure media coverage in France, but the coverage will go beyond France because the games will be shown in the participant's countries," said Mr Debanne.
The foreign participants are due to arrive in Sri Lanka in the first week of October. Sri Lankan Airlines is the official air transport provider. The games will kick off from Dambulla and the teams will also visit Trincomalee, showcasing the once highly popular eastern tourism location.
"We will be going to Trincomalee by a special train hired from the Ministry of Transport," said Mr Debanne. |
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