Excelsior Sports Correspondent
LEH, Sept 3: The first ever Asia’s International Adventure Racing Championship “Himalayan Challenge Ladakh” will be hosted by Adventure Racing Federation of India (ARFI) in Ladakh from September 23 to 27.
This was informed by ARFI President General JJ Singh, the former Chief of the Army Staff while chairing a police officer meet here. SSP Tsering Gyalpo was also present during the meet.
General Singh, the former Governor of Arunachal Pradesh mentioned that the event with different discipline suchs as map reading, river rafting and trekking will be a non-stop event covering about more than 300 kilometers during the event. 16 teams including six foreign teams from America, South America, Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Czechoslovakia Republic and France besides 10 National teams comprising Naval Commandoes, SSB, ITBP, Special Frontiers, BSF, Assam rifle, J&K and two local team Sengge Namgyal (Men) and Gyal Khatoon (Women) with 4 participants in each team will compete.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti will flag off the event from world’s highest motorable road Khardongla Top and Governor NN Vohra will attend the closing ceremony on September 27 evening, he added
He assured to conduct the event with world class standard and also intent to make it an annual event. He appealed to all the students and public to attend event to cheer up the participants to make it successful.
Terming it as unique experience moment to be present among law enforcing officers whom he referred as the worthiest people, General Singh said that he had visited nearly 60 countries around the globe and everywhere he expressed his highest regards to law and order maintaining agencies for keeping the nation peace and safe security of the citizen.
Responding to media query, General Singh said that this event will be different from marathon with event lasting for few days with non-stop running and all team members must reach at specific point on stipulated time.
Expressing his delight over positive response from all stakeholders, General Singh mentioned that the event with multiple objectives aimed to check human endurance, to explore talented youth to groom them for Olympic, to boost the Ladakh economy through tourism promotion, to divert the attention from ongoing Kashmir unrest to Ladakh region by showcasing Ladakh panoramic landscape.
Assuring his support to the event, SSP Tsering Gyalpo welcomed General JJ Singh in PP Colony to boost the morale of police force and said that his visit will serve as inspiration to the law enforcing agencies.