Asahan rafting competition

With regard to the articles published on the Asahan International Whitewater Festival on Nov. 9 and Nov. 13, I wish to thank personally The Jakarta Post for featuring this event. It is indeed truly an international event that deserves attention, especially as it still managed to persuade the big names of the sport to travel to Indonesia to compete, with the world situation being what it is.

However, there were some facts that were incorrect and needed clarifying, as follows: 1. Simon Pramono was not the event organizer but the media distribution coordinator. The event was organized by the regional government of Asahan in conjunction with Suma Terra Holidays and North Sumatra's Chapter of the Indonesia Rafting Federation (FAJI). 2. Asahan Whitewater Festival is not a rafting event but a Whitewater Festival, combining whitewater kayaking and rafting races, which are two different disciplines. There were two international teams for the rafting competition (Malaysia and Japan), while there were seven nations whose top athletes participated in the kayaking event (England, Norway, France, New Zealand, South Africa, Malaysia and Indonesia). 3. Mike Abbott is not a rafter but a kayaker, who finished third in the head-to-head and rodeo (not second) and is from New Zealand, not Australia, just as Jared Meehan (second in the head- to-head) and Mark Eames (second in the rodeo) are from New Zealand as well. 4. The Asahan river does not have grade 5.8 difficulty, but is a grade V river. Only one of the rapids can be considered as 5.8. 5. The rodeo is not about waterfalls and rocks but displaying freestyle skills in a wave, a bit like surfing while sitting inside a 15kg plastic boat, with the help of a double-blade paddle to throw figures.

JHONY H SIHOTANG

Secretary Asahan Whitewater Festival 2001

Bappeda Asahan

North Sumatra