The Hansa Powerade Dusi 2005 organising committee resolved last week to reconsider the event’s age restrictions.
”Frankly, after last year’s incidents we feel that we need to look at the entry restrictions for children,” said Cameron Mackenzie, chairperson of the committee.
”Our first responsibility is to look after the safety of each and every participant. Whilst we can’t stop every eventuality, we need to make sure that we have done everything humanly possible to prevent entrants in the Dusi coming to grief.
”We had an incident in the 2004 event with a couple of youngsters having to be rescued by ER24 and [they] ended up being hospitalised at Mediclinic in Pietermaritzburg. This incident caused much healthy debate and the age rule has been changed with immediate effect,” he said.
In the past, the committee considered entries from suitably qualified under-16 paddlers on merit.
From now on, only entries from paddlers already 15 years old on January 1 of the year of the race will be considered. Entries from paddlers younger than that will not be accepted under any circumstances.
The Hansa Powerade Dusi takes place on January 21, 22 and 23 from Camps Drift in Pietermaritzburg to Durban’s Blue Lagoon. — Sapa