Sangai Fest set to witness world no.2 speed climber in action
Bamboo Wall to be used for the competition
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Satyajit Usham

Imphal, November 26 2011: With the issue over deportation of two Chinese climbers finally settled, the newly constructed 'bamboo-wall' at the mela ground of Hafta Kangjeibung is ready to witness the adrenaline pumping 2nd X-Game International Invitational Men & Women Open Speed Climbing Competition, 2011 from November 27 .

Apart from hosting such an International competition for the first time in Manipur, the event, which is being organized to coincide with the ongoing 10-day long Manipur Sangai Festival, 2011, would go down in the history of speed climbing sports as the first time ever a wall entirely made from Bamboo plyboards would be used in place of the traditional wall made from either fibre glass or natural rock.

According to officials of Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association (MMTA), which is hosting the event in association with Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), the success of the competition would be a landmark in the history of speed climbing sport and it would give a boost in the promotion of the sports as Bamboo is naturally available everywhere and abundantly in North East including Manipur.

They disclosed that constructing a speed climbing wall from fibre glass or natural rock, the expenditure comes in term of crores of rupee.

Significantly, the Bamboo plyboards used for the construction of the wall have also been manufactured in Manipur itself.

The 55 feet tall and 16 feet wide wall with an incline slope of 5 degree, where the action would take place, has been constructed with compressed layers of chemically treated bamboo splits.

Khumanthem Devabrata Singh, the brain behind the enterprising spirit of manufacturing Bamboo plyboards and proprietor of the Takyel Khongbal based Deva Bamboo and Allied Industries, has donated the Bamboo plyboards for the championship.

It is said that after the championship, the wall would be dismantled and taken to other states of India for demonstration.

Speed climbers from seven countries, namely China, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Indonesia, Malaysia and host India would vie for the coveted title of the championship, which would go on till November 28 .

Meanwhile, a Chinese climber who flew down here yesterday to participate in the championship but later send back over the issue of Protected Area Permit (PAP), much to the chagrin of the organizer, is expected to arrive here again tomorrow in time for the competition along with another climber from Chinese Taipei, who too was detained at Guwahati for the same reason.

The Chinese climber Zhang Ning, ranked world number 2 in speed climbing, landed at Imphal Airport yesterday without any problem and checked in at Hotel Classic, but personnel of Intelligence Bureau picked him up on charges of not possessing valid PAP documents and sent him back to Guwahati to get necessary clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Citizens from China, Pakistan and Afghanistan need approval from the Ministry to enter Manipur although PAP for other foreign visitors has been lifted for one year since January 1 this year. Reacting to the fiasco, Chairman of National Sports Climbing Committee, Indian Mountaineering Foundation Keerthi Pais described it as an embarrassment and observed that the matter could have been settled easily.

"Similar treatment on Indian team in the upcoming championship in China next month would not be nice thing, would it be?", he questioned.

Expressing unhappiness over alleged lack of enthusiasm on the part of the state government officials including the Chief Minister over an important International sporting event, Keerthi pointed out that everybody in Manipur appears to be busy for the proposed visit of the Prime Minister that none have time for inaugurating the championship.

"In other states, the Chief Minister and even the Governors would be more than happy to welcome the International players and even host dinner in their honour.

But the situation is just the opposite here, and it is very demoralizing", the Chairman lamented.

"Mind you, we have had to do a great deal of persuading to get the approval of the Federation in bringing the championship to Manipur as part of the tourism festival.

In fact, there was Goa and then Pune, all of them more than eager to host the event after the first championship held at Uttarkashi in 2004", Keerthi pointed out.

Comment