Bhutan To Hold First 'Sports And Culture Festival' For Runners And Cyclists

There are two tiers to the event, comprising of a full-race distance of 50km and a half-race of 25km.

 

By Kinley Yangden | Daily Bhutan

A new sports event will be held in Bhutan next month and is set to be an annual affair on the first Saturday of every April in the future.

Bhutan Sports Festival is an international trail running and mountain biking event, which will be held at Phobjikha on April 6. It will start and end at Gangtey village.

There are two tiers to the event, comprising of a full-race distance of 50km and a half-race of 25km. Participants can choose to either run or cycle through the trail.

The Bhutan Sports Festival was developed as part of its holding enterprise, Bhutan Impact Travels, an organisation under Bhutan Philanthropy Ventures (BPV), a commercially operating social enterprise founded by His Royal Highness Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck. It also offers ongoing support to the Tarayana Foundation and the people of the Phobjikha Valley.

It is also the brainchild of Ms Terri Schneider, who co-created the Bhutan International Marathon with the Bhutan Olympic Committee (BOC) during her time at BOC as a volunteer. She has also supported, consulted on and participated in Bhutan’s marquee cycling event The Tour of the Dragon.

“Adventure and community tourism has grown rapidly in recent years as an outdoor recreational element of the tourism sector and we believe that Bhutan should embrace the opportunity offered by this global trend,” said a spokesperson from BPV.

“Through this event, we hope to showcase Bhutan’s rich environment and share our cultural wealth with the elite international athletes. We would also like to promote running as a healthy way of life amongst our youth in rural and urban Bhutan. We also hope to garner support and maximise the social impact in our communities through this event.”

For details on the event and registration, click here.

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