Former guerilla soldiers trade guns for paddles and became champions of peace
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For the past 10 days, 300 athletes from 19 countries have battled each other, and the mighty Tully River in far north Queensland, for glory at the 2019 World Rafting Championships.
While Brazil claimed the overall Open Men's and New Zealand the Open Women's crowns, it was a South American minnow who emerged from the event as champions of peace.
The five-man crew from Colombia made up of former guerrilla soldiers who have traded their guns for paddles.
Rebels traded guns for paddles
Colombia is a nation still recovering from 50 years of civil war between its government and various militant guerrillas including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known as FARC.
An historic ceasefire agreement was signed in 2016 but the conflict killed an estimated 220,000 people, most of them civilians, millions were displaced, and the economy was in ruins.
With the peace process in stream, thousands of FARC soldiers re-integrate into society from their jungle camps.
"Our ultimate goal was political transformation in the country; we had a political goal," Colombian team captain Duberney Moreno said.
"When the peace process began in 2012, [it] permitted the opportunity for us to take up our struggle without arms — we laid down our weapons and took up rafting paddles."
The former rebels have become heroes at home with their story gaining a huge mainstream and national media attention.
"We're happy we've been able to inspire such a positive message when Colombia and the world really needs positive messages of peace," Mr Moreno said.
"We have to row very hard and paddle very hard because in the 'river for peace', everyone in the boat must be rowing together."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-20/2019-world-rafting-championships-in-tully/11131350
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