Asol Aap

A living indigenous practice formalised into an administered championship — the boats and the skill are traditional, the bracket and the trophies are not.

The Nicobarese are a seafaring people and the dugout canoe is a household's principal asset and its means of moving between islands. The race asserts village standing and keeps the skill alive.

Village crews race dugout canoes with only two boats on the water at a time, crew size varying with the size of the boat. In its modern form it is organised as a championship by the islands' sports association.

Village crews race dugouts over an open-sea course between villages.

Standing between villages is contested and settled on the water.

Canoe racing between Nicobarese villages, later organised into an inter-village championship run by the Nicobars Games and Sports Association.