Kurdistan holds first mountaineering competition

SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – Kurdistan has held its first ever mountaineering competition in Sulaimani with 70 men and women taking part in the competition near the city's Azmar mountains.

 

Three referees from Iran oversaw the competition.

 

The competition involved a 4 km run, a climb reaching the top of 1,600m Azmar mountain, and finally returning to the starting point.

 

“The objective behind this competition is to set a precedent for mountaineering for our nation," Bina Qadir, one of the organizers, told Rudaw. "We have many high mountains. We should benefit from these sports.”

 

A woman competitor who came first in the competition for women said it was a difficult competition.

 

“It was a very difficult distance, as you can imagine. It was 4 km or even more. But despite the difficulty, I was able to come in at the top," said Dekan.