RI, M’sia and Khazakstan meet in rafting championship

A total of 16 teams from Indonesia, Malaysia and Khazakstan have begun competing in the Alas Indonesia Rafting Championship (AIRC)- IRF World Cup Series 2011 in Aceh, in an event that runs from Thursday to Saturday.

The event is taking place on the Alas River in Southeast Aceh regency, and is also aimed at selecting Indonesian representatives to the IRF R4 World Championship next year.

“This is a D level [national event] competition, with four crew members on board each craft. It’s D level, according to regulations on national rafting competitions set by FAJI [Indonesia Rafting Federation] and the International Rafting Federation [IRF],”  AIRC steering committee chairman Amalia Tunita said in Medan on Thursday as quoted by Antara.

She added that the AIRC participants, comprising more than 80 athletes, would compete in four categories: sprint, head-to-head, slalom and down river races.

Each team has been given opportunities to practice on the river before the day of the competitions, Antara reported.