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mr. wang is offering a detailed kayaking course for the participants.   photo by mei jie

on september 23, over 15 expats in ningbo were invited to celebrate the one-year countdown to the upcoming 19th asian games hangzhou 2022 in wanboo fish resort, beilun district, ningbo (a co-host city of the hangzhou asian games). they shared views on the games and participated in water sports, including sailing and kayaking. the event provided a unique window for ningbo expats and local citizens to get further insights into the hangzhou asian games and foreign cultures.

the activity started with a q&a session that sparked the interest of the attendees. first came the warm-up questions related to the 19th hangzhou asian games, such as the opening date, mascot, location, theme, and slogan. with expats’ sharing their views on sports and expectations for the games, the atmosphere was getting hyper. in a follow-up icebreaker game, participants proceeded to set up tents. some of them pulled the tarp and others put the poles through the tent, cooperating quite well. working as a team, they not only successfully pitched the tents but also build up friendships.

then came the training and experiencing session. mr. wang, a kayaking coach, presented a detailed training course for all the participants.

mr. wang displayed and introduced a double kayak, also known as a tandem kayak, with two seats. paddlers can store some food, clothes, and small gadgets in the dedicated space on the kayak. excited about this sport, participants couldn’t wait to give it a try.

jeswin, a ghanaian expat currently engaged in international trade, tried kayaking for the first time. “it was difficult at the beginning. then i got the hang of it and things went much easier. it was exciting.” jeswin expressed his expectations and best wishes for the approaching 19th hangzhou asian games.

wanboo fish resort, with its water sports base covering an area of 100,000 square meters, possesses 84 berths for yachts and sailboats, as well as professional facilities and equipment (e.g., 10 fareast 28r racing keelboat, 10 first 20 (beneteau) sailboats). here, participants also got a chance to enjoy sailing (one of the three contests to be held in ningbo’s asian games sailing center).

christian fardel, a french educator with more than 40 years of teaching experience in sailing and aviation, shared his sailing experiences and insights with the journalist of ningbo evening news. christian has been in china since 2017, studying chinese for some time at zhejiang university. he is dedicated and successful in sailing coaching and promotion with the aim of encouraging more people to get involved in sailing. last year, he co-organized a sailing competition where his team took the bronze. for the big event, the 19th hangzhou asian games, christian applied as a volunteer. he also helped to set up a sailing school in lishui, zhejiang province. christian mentioned that sailing might be relatively new to ningbo locals, but increased opportunities should be provided to encourage young people to embrace the sport; sailing clubs and related coaching schools should be established to facilitate sailing enthusiasts and young talents.

reporter: mei jie

proofreaders: puyang rong, zhang dongjing, jason mowbray