sharjah The usually silent walkway at the Sharjah Corniche was bustling with activity, enough to grab the attention of passersbys.
The competition taking place was the fifth annual Association of School Rowing in Asia (ASRA) Regatta and it was surprising that not many were aware of the event, with just a handful of spectators watching the action.
Blame it on poor publicity or whatever, but the competitors hardly seemed to be affected by the lack of attention. “Definitely, it lacks publicity. It’s not spectator friendly as the big sports like football or rugby. But in countries where rowing is popular, there is a good crowd turnout and it’s slowly gathering importance in the other countries as well,” said Arif Ikram, president of ASRA.
Around 180 boys and girls from four Asian countries – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the UAE – participated in the two-day event. “We had teams from 37 schools (11 teams each from Sri Lanka and Pakistan, six from India and nine from the UAE) and there were two categories, under-16 and under-20, for both boys and girls.
“The event is a regular feature on the Asian Rowing Federation calender and focuses on development at the grassroots level,” Ikram said, adding: “The event travels to a new venue every year giving opportunity to the host country to participate in big numbers. This event is important since we identify talent from here.”
Ikram said the event also encourages in development programmes for the participating kids, including staying healthy. “It’s a very tough sport. For example, cycling burns 500 plus calories in an hour while rowing burns around 900. We also take them around the city and show them the diverse culture. So it’s not just about rowing, but also a team building and development programme,” Ikram added.
Aarif Al Haranki, member of UAE Rowing and Sailing Federation and Head of Rowing Committee, said: “This is the first time this event is happening in the UAE. So it’s important we keep bringing such events which can improve our rowers through participation at a competitive level.”
