DUBAI, 19 July 2006 — A group of ten UAE-based women, mainly from European countries, will join 23 others from the Alappuzha Boat Club in Kerala on Aug. 12 to take part in the famous Nehru Trophy Boat Race.
It’s the first time in the history of the boat race that a team of women representing the UAE will have the opportunity to join forces with 23 women from Kerala and paddle 750 meters along the River Punnamada.
“It’s a great way to connect our cultures and countries and I am sure it will be a fantastic learning experience,” Julie Amer, a British national who is heading the UAE team, told Arab News
The UAE team includes, Britta Misch, a German orthodontist who paddled on the Sarawak team last year in Borneo, Wai Yin Chang, British-born Chinese who was with Julie during her mountain trip in Kilimanjaro in 2005, Sharon Codyre from New Zealand, Dana Anab from Jordan, Melissa Goring, Lou Harris and Lea Radcliffe from Britain, Karen Gunning from Scotland and Robyn Parker from South Africa.
The Nehru Trophy Boat race is a prestigious cultural event that attracts people from all over the world. The race begins with a dazzling pageant of water floats, performing arts and boats decorated with colorful parasols.
The snake boat (Chundan Vallam) race is the largest team sport in the world. The boats are hand-crafted from wood without a single nail and powered by 125 oarsmen.