Kayaking event draws 28 int'l athletes

MEDAN, North Sumatra: The organizer of the 2001 Asahan Whitewater Festival (AWF) was pleasantly surprised that the number of competitors pledging to participate reached some 200 including 28 international athletes.

"We did not expect the number of participants to get to that number considering the current global and domestic situation. It turned out that England's best kayakers Allan Allard and Jonny Pearson have decided to participate," organizer Yahdi Khoir said on Wednesday.

"Other participants come from countries such as Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Russia and South Africa," he added.

The second AWF starts on Thursday and will end on Monday. Athletes will be competing for US$25,000 in prize money in kayaking and Rp 30 million ($2,700) for rafting events. The inaugural Asahan festival was held last November.

Meanwhile, Asahan Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bambang Waskito said he would deploy 160 security personnel at the venue including 20 officers to safeguard the international competitors. -- JP