At the picturesque Tawangchu River, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu officially opened the second Tawangchu Tides International Kayaking Championship. This high-altitude competition, which attracted over 100 competitors from India and elsewhere, demonstrated Arunachal Pradesh’s expanding prominence in adventure sports. During his speech, Khandu greeted the attendees and gave the Indian Kayaking & Canoeing Association (IKCA), Arunachal Olympic Association, and Arunachal Kayaking & Canoeing Association (AKCA) and their supporting partners credit for organizing the event.
Bilquis Mir, the first Indian woman to serve on an Olympic kayaking and canoeing jury, received special attention for her attendance, which was seen as motivating for young athletes. Her story serves as a source of inspiration and tenacity for our young people. Our state and nation will create future Olympians thanks to events like these,” he remarked. The Chief Minister emphasized the natural rivers in Arunachal Pradesh that are ideal for canoeing and kayaking. He affirmed that the pertinent memorandum had been presented and cited AKCA’s plan to create five river basins as training centers.
Pema Khandu said the state government, in coordination with experts and IKCA, will set up more training centres to promote kayaking. He noted that Arunachal Pradesh, once among the lowest-ranked states in national sports, now stands second in the Northeast after Manipur in the 38th National Games, with over 1,000 medals won in the past decade. Congratulating Devi Dada for winning bronze in Kayak Cross, Khandu highlighted the state’s potential for adventure sports and announced official funding for the Tawangchu Tides International Kayaking Championship as an annual event. He said such initiatives would boost tourism and strengthen Tawang’s image as a global adventure sports destination.
