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This man is lucky to make it home. This lucky man can build a house…
FREESTYLE ECONOMICS > > > G L O B A L I Z A T I O N
THE PROS AND CONS OF INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION ON THE NILE
Locals like Paulo Babi get more air time than most
NO ONE EVER ACCUSED pro kayaker and Canadian freestyle champ Billy Harris of being short on enthusiasm. Still, many of the 200 onlookers who gathered to watch the 2005 Nile Freestyle Festi- val on Uganda’s Victoria Nile River couldn’t help but note his humility after dominating the pipelining Nile Special wave and winning the competition’s $2,000 US cash prize. Most likely, Harris only seemed low-key compared to the fist-pumping celebration of the previous year’s hometown favourite. When Ugandan Paulo Babi won the 2004 title, he told all those
within earshot he would use his $2,000 to build himself a house— and then travel the world with the loot that was left over. Harris’ same winnings, on the other hand, would barley have covered his round trip airfare from Canada. Even pro kayaking is subject to international economic dispari-
ties. With an average annual personal income of just $1,460 US in Uganda, the $2,000 prize put up by Fluid Kayaks and Kayak Ses- sion magazine paid big for Babi. Considering the different purchas- ing powers of Canadians and Ugandans in their home economies,
Harris would need to have won an unheard of $40,000 freestyle event in Canada to enjoy the same income boost Babi enjoyed in Uganda. Economics notwithstanding, locals don’t see Harris and other
ringers such as Australia’s Anthony Yap and France’s Marc Giardin as party crashers. Event organizer and local paddler Jamie Simp- son says the Ugandans pick up new tricks from the globetrotting pros and put them to use on the aerial-friendly features of the Victo- ria Nile. When it comes time to compete, home-wave advantage has enabled locals like Babi, Tim Flowers and Geoffrey Kabirya to give the world’s best a run for their money. Simpson sees the beginnings of a new freestyle powerhouse in the making. “Locals hold their own with the big guns,” said Simpson. “When
it comes to air, they go bigger than most. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a world champion out of Uganda in the years to come.” If Simpson is right and Ugandans start snagging titles at the up-
coming World Cup tour or 2007 Worlds, real-estate speculators can expect a rush on Victoria Nile riverfront properties. —Conor Mihell
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PHOTOS: BEN HOLLAND
RAPID
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