Manoel Island races on Sunday

The Malta Canoe Federation (MCF) will hold its annual Manoel Island races on Sunday from 8 a.m.

The day's activities will start with the now traditional 10km race along a circuit covering three laps of Manoel Island. There will also be single lap dinghy races, shorter races for juniors and a new K2 (doubles) single lap challenge.

The morning of activity will end with the open fun race, an event in which newcomers are encouraged to attempt a single lap paddle of Manoel Island which in itself is an achievement for beginners.

The favourites for this year's 10km race are champion Chris Camilleri and Gerald Degaetano. The latter was unable to contest the 2005 race and is expected to give Camilleri a hard time. For his part, Camilleri is focusing more on Olympic class sprint racing which entails a completely different training programme.

Sunday's races could also see the participation of two German canoeists from the WSV Rheine Club.

The races will start and finish from the same point at The Strand, Sliema, near the Ferries. Registration will commence at 7.30 a.m.

More details on the event may be obtained from the MCF website www.mcu.org.mt.