Dragon Boat Race Festival begins in Pokhara [In Photos]

POKHARA: The second edition of the Dragon Boat Race Festival began in Pokhara on Sunday. The race will be held on Fewa Lake.

The festival is being jointly organized by the Gandaki Province Government, Pokhara Metropolitan City, the Embassy of Chinese in Nepal and the Nepal Tourism Board, in collaboration with the Nepal Dragon Boat Association, Pokhara Tourism Council, and Pokhara Overseas Chinese Association.

Minister for Youth and Sports Tejulal Chaudhary inaugurated the competition. Speaking on the occasion, Chaudhary said such events not only promote tourism in Pokhara but also help strengthen the cordial relationship between Nepali and Chinese citizens.

The two-day competition features 20 teams, including 11 from Nepal, eight from China and one from Singapore. Each team consists of 12 players.

Participating teams will compete in two categories – 200-meter and 500-meter. Winning teams will receive $5,000, while the first and second runners-up will take home $2,000 and $1,200, respectively. The remaining 17 teams will each receive $500.

A chartered flight of Sichuan Airlines arrived in Pokhara from Chengdu on December 26, carrying 129 Chinese participants, including athletes, technical staff and guests.

Dragon boat racing is one of China’s four major traditional festivals.