The 16 th Edition of the annual Women’s Race and Culture Celebration organized by “La Parisienne” took place on the 7 th , 8 th and 9 th September 2012 on Pont d’Iéna in front of the Eiffel Tower.
True to a long standing tradition which consists of celebrating different regions of the world, Island States of the Indian Ocean were honored and celebrated this year including Sri Lanka, the Reunion Islands and the Mauritius Islands.
The “Culture Village” was in
augurated on 7 th September with over thirty different stalls dedicated to culture and tourism of each celebrated country and to feminine sports apparel and well-being.
The Sri Lankan stall offered “Kiri Bath” (milk rice), sweetmeats and freshly brewed tea to all guests and brochures containing travel details about Sri Lanka were also handed out. Other stalls proposed coaching and guidance for relaxation and tips on how to be elegantly dressed in sports attire.
The Women’s Race was launched off on the morning of Sunday 9 th September with close to 28,000 sports friendly women taking part in a 6.3 kilometer run under the Parisian sun. The opening of the race was attended and cheered by Mme. Anne Hidalgo, first deputy Mayor of Paris, Jean Vuillermoz, deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of sports and Fatima Lalem deputy mayor of Paris in charge of gender equality and invitee Ambassadors.
For the participating athletes, the race consisted of a 45 minute run from Pont d’Iéna around the Seine and up to Champ-de-Mars. Over 600 musicians, drummers and dancers participated in the cultural events to cheer the participants during the race. Sri Lankan dance groups entertained visitors to the Culture Village with traditional dances, folk dance items and creative dances throughout the three day event.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Paris
20 th September 2012
