Kolkata to host Asian School Indoor Rowing Competition from September 4

India’s second-biggest city Kolkata will host the ‘world’s biggest’ single Asian School Indoor Rowing Competition at Calcutta Rowing Club starting from September 4, said Bengal Water Sports.

Nearly two lakh students from across India and its neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan are expected to take part in the sporting event.

Terming the tournament as the global’ s biggest single sports event on shore, founder of Bengal Water Sports Shakeel Ahmed said, “Apart from 75,000 students from 100 schools of West Bengal, more than one lakh and fifty thousand students from other states of the country including Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab will compete.”

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According to organisers, Guinness Book of Records and Limca Book of Records will watch the event and verify the total number of participants to officially announce the event as the ‘global’ s biggest’ single sporting event.

Indoor rowing is simulated actions of rowing through Argometer on land.

“Indoor rowing is now quite popular and regularly practiced in the western countries though it is comparatively a new entrant in India,” said chairman of the event and Associate Vice President of Rowing Federation of India Chandan Roy Chowdhury.

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With an aim to identify talents in the grassroots level, preliminary rounds in different districts were conducted, said the officials, adding a separate competition for the differently-abled children would also be held along with this meet.

The meet would be held in three age groups—under-12, 15 and 18 years for both boys and girls first at district and then at state level.

All the state level winners along with competitors from other countries will compete at the grand finale on December 2.

(With inputs from agencies)