Minister opens marine festival

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 08/10/2007 1:01 PM

PADANG, West Sumatra: The 2007 International Marine Youth and Sports Festival is being held on Purus Beach in Padang through Aug. 15.

The event was opened Tuesday by State Minister for Youth and Sports Affairs Adhyaksa Dault.

The opening ceremony featured performances of traditional dances from coastal regions of West Sumatra, including the tari indang, tari piring, tari pengiring and gamad.

There was also a lion dance performance by the members of Padang's ethnic Chinese community.

It also featured 55 skydivers, a horse carriage parade, decorated pedicabs and a pencak silat martial arts demonstration.

While the festival will be focused in Padang, events will be held in seven cities and regencies across the province.

About 5,000 people are expected to take part in the festival.

In addition to marine sports such as dragon boat races, ocean swims, canoeing, surfing, and sailing, the festival also will highlight local events like chili grinding.

Minister Dault said one of the goals of the festival was to revive interest among younger people in the marine sector. -- JP

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