As it does every year, the University of French Guiana's Service Universitaire des Activités Physiques et Sportives (SUAPS) is taking part in the Awala Yalimapo Kali'na Games. Participants will face nine events over two days, on Saturday 9 December and Sunday 10 December 2017.
À For this 13th edition of the Kali'na Games, SUAPS has achieved a feat of double parity. The team is made up of as many university staff as students, and as many men as women. Male/female parity in the composition of the team is a regulatory requirement laid down by Awala-Yalimapo town council in order to be able to compete. This parity was also respected at hierarchical level with the two people in charge, a member of the Sports Council of the University of Guyana and the director of the SUAPS.
This year, the team from the University of Guyana is made up of 4 women and 4 men. It is called OMEPATONO (students in Amerindian). The team will meet the 31 other qualified teams, including one from Martinique, at the opening ceremony on Friday 8 December at 6pm.
The race begins at 6.30am the following day with a 10km race comprising a beach and road course. For this event, only 6 of the 8 athletes in the team will be allowed to take part. Parity must always be respected to avoid disqualification.
This year's programme includes 9 events over two days: Running - coconut tree climbing (as high as possible, with their feet tied to an apalan'd+ (a strap)) - traditional archery - tug-of-war - load-carrying relay - devil's game - canoe hoisting (the whole team has to hoist the canoe 30m round trip) - canoe race (50m race on the beach, then 5 athletes board with 4 oars at their disposal) - mud sliding replaces harpoon throwing this year.
Come one, come all to support our university team!
Free admission, catering available on site.
