Kerala - Kochi   

Kochi gets ready for Volvo Ocean Race

KOCHI: There is a steady drizzle at Willingdon Island. Unmindful of the rain, nearly 20 men and some heavy cranes are hard at work, erecting the huge Volvo tent. Nearby, at the Cochin Port Trust, its Chairman N. Ramachandran is busy tying up some last-minute deals. The Volvo Ocean Race, virtually the world championship of ocean racing, will arrive in Kochi on December 3, and work in on at a fast pace to welcome the racing yachts to the city for a ten-day stopover.

"We have planned a very colourful ceremony to welcome the Volvo Race in Kochi," said Mr Ramachandran on Saturday. The Cochin Port Trust and the Kerala Tourism Department, the joint host of the race’s Kochi stopover, have planned a cultural feast for the thousands of guest expected.

"It’s a mix of sport, tourism and business," said Mr Ramachandran just before announcing State Bank of India as the event’s official banker and Indian Oil Corporation as a partner.

Vayalar Ravi, the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, will be the chief guest for the Volvo Race’s arrival ceremony on December 3. Before this, the BTP berth extension, which will be the berthing place for the competing yachts, will be formally opened by T. R. Baalu, the Union Minister for Shipping, on December 1.

Meanwhile, at the Race Village where Volvo is putting up its big tent, there’s plenty of action too. "We work in two units and this unit has been brought from Alicante (in Spain where the Volvo Race began)," said Bjorn Brannberg, manager, Brand and Corporate Events Communication .

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