Sport

Two Kurdish athletes cycle for over 3,000 kilometers to promote environmentalism

Over their month-long journey, the two cyclists traveled 31,000 kilometers (at least 18,000 miles) from Trabzon’s Uzungöl Lake to Erbil.

Halgurd Sherwani 2021/10/26 15:16

Bilal Ibrahim (left) poses for a photo with Sha'ban Shawkat (right) in Turkey's Trabzon. (Photo: Bilal Ibrahim)

Kurdistan Bilal Ibrahim Shaban Shawkat Trabzon Erbil Environment Cycling

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Crossing through 41 provinces of Iraq and Turkey, two Kurdish cyclists, after nearly a month, arrived back in the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil as part of their bid to raise awareness on environmentalism.

Upon their return to the Kurdistan Region’s capital on Sunday, Erbil’s governor and other local officials welcomed the cyclists.

The Kurdish cyclists are being awareded on Erbil citadel upon their return. Oct. 24, 2021. (Photo: Erbil Governorate)

Over their month-long journey, the two cyclists traveled 31,000 kilometers (at least 18,000 miles) from Trabzon’s Uzungöl Lake to Erbil.

Cycling through more than 400 villages in both countries, the two athletes sought to inform the people of the Kurdistan Region, especially Erbil, that this means of transportation is friendly to the environment.

The cyclists taking a snack break in Turkey. (Photo: Bilal Ibrahim)

“If we look at the reports [on environmentalism], there is no good news,” Bilal Ibrahim, 25, told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday.

A mountain biker from Erbil, Ibrahim is a fellow cyclist of Sha’ban Shawkat, 28, from Duhok. Shawkat has been a cyclist since 2012.

Pekawa Bun, a Kurdish civil society group, has supported the athlete’s journey.

Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw (center) poses for a photo with Bilal Ibrahim (left) and Sha'ban Shawkat (right) on Erbil Citadel, Oct. 24, 2021. (Photo: Erbil Governorate)