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Men rowers start
their 3km race.
Women rowers from
Yen Hung Team
present flowers to their male mates
who get
the finish first.
Chief of the Yen Hung Women's Team is
so
happy with her team's Cup.
A leader
ofQuang Ninh Province presents
the Cup
to Yen Hung Men's Team.
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The 2009 Open Rowing Challenge, a part of the Ha Long
Tourism Carnival 2009 and sponsored by the Quang Ninh Department of
Culture, Sports and Tourism, was recently held on the Cua Luc River in Ha Long City of Quang Ninh
Province.
The rowers during their race on Ha Long
Bay.
In the past, the sport of
rowing hasn't been a strong point of the people living in this area.
However, in recent years it has been gaining popularity and contributed to
the province's sport development, particularly in the area of
tourism.
This year's Rowing Challenge
attracted the participation of 130 rowers (52 women and 78 men) who were
divided into 10 teams including 4 women’s teams and 4 men’s teams from Ha
Long City, Van Don and Yen Hung Districts and Cua Ong Coal Sorting
Company, and 2 men's teams from Guangxi (China), adding an international
flavour.
Contestants competed in several
categories including the women's 1km and 2km races, and the men's 2km and
3km races. The competitors were loudly supported by many locals and
tourists.
Phong Hai and Phong Coc
Communes of Yen Hung District have built training facilities for their
strong athletes, so not surprisingly the rowers from these locals often
win high prizes at the provincial races.
In the past years rowing
competitions were only held at big festivals, but in recent years the
sport has become more popular and is now held at major celebrations and on
holidays. Rowing has turned out to be an interesting cultural event much
loved by the local people of Quang Ninh and its surrounding areas.
With their skills and devotion,
the rowers contributed to the success of the Ha Long Tourism Carnival 2009
with wonderful and competitive races from the beginning to the end. The
final results made the viewers surprised upon their expectations. In the
women's 2km race First Prize was awarded to Yen Hung Team, followed by the
Tuan Chau-Ha Long Team and the Cao Xanh – Ha Long Team. In the men's 2km
race, the Yen Hung Team won First Prize, the Chinese Team 1 Second Prize,
and the Van Don Team 3rd Prize. In the men's 3km race, the Yen
Hung Team again won First Prize, followed by the Van Don Team and the
Chinese Team 1 with 2nd and 3rd Prizes respectively.
Prizes for impressive costumes were awarded to the Cua Ong Coal Sorting
Company's Team and the Cao Xanh – Ha Long Team.
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Yen Hung Women's and Men's Teams won 4
Cups.
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Story by Tran Tri Cong
- Photos by Le Minh
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