Three members of the Kozhikode-based One India Kite Team will be part of the six-member team that will represent India in the 34th Weifang International Kite Festival and the 13th World Kite Championship that will be held in Weifang city, China, from April 15 to 29.
Chairman of the team selection committee Shyam Padman told reporters here on Wednesday that Mubasheer Kundanath would be the team captain while Abdulla Maliyekkal and Mohammed Moosa would be part of the team. The other three members – Nitesh Lakum, Dhwani Lakum and Vicky Vakhariya – are from Gujarat.
The kite festival being organised by the International Kite Federation will have teams from 110 countries. The members of One India Kite team have been representing India in the International Kite Championship for three years. This year, the team will compete in four categories — largest kite, best inflatable kite, best performance kite and best traditional kite.
The team will present its Tiger Kite, which is 35-ft-long and 8-ft-wide in the first two categories.
The kite, designed by Mr. Maliyekkal of the One India Kite Team based on India’s national animal, tiger, was made by noted kite-maker Peter Lynn from New Zealand over 40 days.
Made of ripstop nylon at a cost of ₹2.38 lakh, it is the first inflatable kite made in India and completely works on wind. It weighs 14.5 kg.
Mr. Maliyekkal said discussions were in progress regarding the Calicut International Kite Festival scheduled to be held in September.
Teams from 10 countries would be part of the festival. There will be 20 teams from other States in India, he said.
