'Help us build a new Myanmar' - Online Burma Library

tImESsPORt
By Aung Si Hein
AN auto rally aimed at
strengthening cooperation and
understanding between China and
ASEAN countries plans to include
Myanmar in next year’s event, says
an official involved in the event .
Mr Chen Li Ji, the head of the
China-ASEAN International
Touring Assembly, said ahead of
the start of the rally in Nanning
on August 17, that Myanmar was
not included in the route this year
because of the difficult terrain in its
border areas with Thailand.
“It would take three days to reach
Yangon because only one road
is accessible; although we would
very much like to visit Yangon’s
beautiful Shwedagon pagoda, doing
so is impractical because it would
require spending a week of the tour
in Myanmar,” Mr Chen said.
But there were plans to include
both Myanmar and Indonesia in
the next year’s rally, Mr Chen
said.
The rally, held this year for the
sixth time, is organised by the
General Sports Administration
of the People’s Republic of China,
the People’s Government of the
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region and the ASEAN Secretariat.
It is aimed at highlighting
the China-ASEAN Free Trade
Agreement and promoting the
China-ASEAN Expo as well as
bilateral exchanges in sport,
trade, tourism and culture.
The rally begins and ends in
Nanning, the host city of the China-
ASEAN Expo, which being held this
year from September 21 to 25.
This year’s rally, which ended on
September 7, involved 24 vehicles
and 114 participants, including
journalists and travel company
representatives, and covered
more than 10,000 kilometres. The
route was China, Vietnam, Laos,
Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore,
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam
and China.
It took 12 hours to cover the
first leg of this year’s rally, a 380
kilometre journey from Nanning
to Ha Long in Vietnam.
Vietnamese traditional
performers added colour to the
flag-off ceremony the next morning
on a route which took participants
through beautiful mountainous
terrain to Vinh.
Flag-off ceremonies were also
held at Victory Gate in the Lao
capital, Vientiane, at Sukhothai in
Thailand, in the Malaysian capital,
Kuala Lumpur, in Singapore and
in the Cambodian capital, Phnom
Penh.
At the flag-off ceremony in
Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s Undersecretary
of State in the Ministry
of Education, Youth and Sport, Mr
Meas Sarim, spoke of the role of
sport in building understanding.
“Sport keeps us united; people
speak different languages but in
September 17 - 23, 2012
Plan for Myanmar to join rally route
Participants in the China-AESEAN International Touring Assembly celebrate the start of the tour in
Nanning, China on August 17. Pic: Aung Si Hein
sport they share they same ideals,”
Mr Meas Sarim said.
Mr Chen, the convoy’s director
on behalf of CAITA, told journalists
covering the rally that rapid
economic development had been
evident in many areas along the
route since the event began.
“People’s living standards are
improving and construction in
urban and rural areas is better
than before,” he said.
However, Vietnamese journalist
and travel book writer Mr Pham
Hoang Hai, said he would have
liked more opportunities to meet
people and experience their culture
during the event.
“We are spending too much
time on the road,” Mr Hai told
The Myanmar Times. “If I was
organising this event, I would limit
the tour to only three countries and
spend more time in each,” he said.
Travel industry representatives
who participated in the event
included Mr Ripka Widjaja, from
Setia Tours and Travel in Indonesia,
who said he would have liked
more representatives of ASEAN
countries to have taken part.
Mr Widjaja also said it was not
necessary to have high-ranking
officials from each country officiating
at the flag-off ceremonies.
The managing director of
Malaysia’s Borneo Automobile
Leisure Tour Agency, Dr Ling Tung
King, said the tour route involved
too much back and forth travel in
most countries, which was a waste
of time and money.
Cavendish faces uphill battle to defend world crown
LIMBURG, Netherlands – The
world cycling championships were
to get underway on September 16,
with seven days of racing set to
produce several new champions
as Britain’s Mark Cavendish
attempts to defend his road race
crown on the final day of the
competition on September 23.
The Isle of Man rider who has
racked up 23 stage wins on the
Tour de France, and became
the first British rider since Tom
Simpson in 1965 to triumph on
the world stage last year on the
roads of Copenhagen, is not one of
the outright favourites on a rolling
circuit suited more to punchers
rather than outright sprinters.
The 267km route was to feature
the first 100km raced over the
streets of several Limburg
municipalities and two challenging
climbs, before the final 10 laps
over a 16.5km circuit and an
ascent towards the finish before
a slight dip to the line.
The first section of the route
was to be almost identical to that
used in the Amstel Gold races and
suited to the likes of Belgium’s
Philippe Gilbert who has won
the one-day classic in 2010 and
2011 and will fancy the rolling
conditions.
However Gilbert could only
finish sixth during the 2012
Amstel Gold race and has also
lost his Belgian road race and
time-trial titles in the build-up
to the championships, although
a win on the ninth stage of the
Tour of Spain will have boosted
his confidence.
Newly-crowned Tour of Spain
champion Alberto Contador is part
of a strong Spanish team although
the 29-year-old was to only race
the time-trial, while three-time
world champion Oscar Freire,
Alejandro Valverde and Samuel
Sanchez will be contenders for the
podium in the road race.
Tour de France and Olympic
champion Bradley Wiggins is part
of the British team but was not to
attempt to better his silver medal
in last year’s time-trial behind
Germany’s Tony Martin as he also
opts to concentrate on the road
race and the Cavendish cause.
“Brad has opted out of riding
the time-trial at the worlds. This
year’s focus for him has been fully
on the Tour de France and the
Olympics, so to expect him to hold
form going into the worlds is a big
ask,” explained British Cycling
director Dave Brailsford.
Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara
has declined the opportunity to
add to his four time-trial world
titles as the 31-year-old continues
to recover from a nasty fall during
the closing stages of the Olympic
road race in London.
The competition was to kick off
on September 16 with the return
of the team time-trial and will
feature outfits from the UCI World
Tour and not national teams
while there is also a chance for
Pro-Continental and Continental
teams to qualify.
The women were to race over
34.2km with two climbs while the
men’s race covers 53.2km and both
finish lines appearing after an
ascent to the line at Valkenburg.
Italy’s Giorgia Bronzini has won
the last two women’s road races,
although she had to dig deep last
year in Denmark to hold off Dutch
legend Marianne Vos who won gold
and relegated Bronzini to fifth in the
Olympics as she comes to what can
be deemed her home championships
as UCI World Tour leader.
Germany’s Judith Arndt is
the defending champion in the
women’s time-trial while there
are also events for under-23 riders
and juniors during the seven
days of racing that feature twelve
events. – AFP