Indian Canoeing-Kayaking Team Leaves for Asian Championship in Japan

A team of Indian athletes who race in boats called kayaks and canoes is going to a big competition.

The competition is called the Asian Canoeing and Kayaking Marathon Championship.

It will be held in Kyoto, a city in Japan, from August 4 to 10.

Twelve athletes from different parts of India were chosen for the team.

Three of them come from the state of Maharashtra.

One athlete, Akshay Lilke, has won a gold medal at a national competition.

He is from a college connected to an organization called the Maratha Vidya Prasarak Samaj.

A sports director named Prof. Hemant Patil will be the team's coach.

The leaders of the canoeing and kayaking associations welcomed the team.

People in Nashik congratulated the athletes and wished them good luck.