Raid Amazones, the women-only French adventure race, is under way in Kalutara with around 300 competitors, in its first Sri Lankan staging since 2023.
The race began on 2 November and runs until 10 November, with Kalutara the main destination for the 2026 edition, the Daily Mirror reported. Alongside the roughly 300 French contestants, 55 international staff are supporting the event.
Competitors take on trail running, canoeing, cycling, running and treasure hunts across the district.
The minister started the canoe race
A canoeing stage was held on 5 November, starting and finishing at Malli’s Seafood Restaurant. Vijitha Herath, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, attended and flagged off the competition.
The delegation landed at Bandaranaike International Airport on 2 November and was met by Sri Lanka Tourism Information Centre officials with traditional dance. Organisers noted that the flight carrying the group was crewed entirely by women, in keeping with the event’s theme. Connaissance de Ceylan (Pvt) Ltd is the official ground-handling partner.
What the host country is counting on
Sri Lanka Tourism said the race helps build the country’s profile in European markets in particular. Competitors come mainly from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and elsewhere in Europe, and the industry expects some to extend their stays.
The organisers put the publicity value of the 2023 edition at an estimated USD 50 million, saying it generated more than 300 international press articles, reached an audience of roughly one million people, and recorded over 65,000 engagements and 650,000 video views.
Raid Amazones was founded in 2001 by French entrepreneur Alexandre Debanne of ZBO France. Elsewhere it has included orienteering, mountain biking, horse riding and running.
A note on the edition count
The Daily Mirror lists Sri Lanka’s previous hostings as 2004, 2009, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023 — six editions. When the 2026 race was announced in August, organisers described this as the island’s eighth hosting and recorded two separate stagings in 2022, which would make seven before now. This desk records both counts rather than choosing between them; the difference is whether the two 2022 races are counted once or twice.
The participant figure has also moved. The August announcement expected “more than 250” athletes; the Daily Mirror now reports around 300.
The “two-year break” in the Daily Mirror’s headline refers to 2024 and 2025, when the race was not held in Sri Lanka.
Sources: Daily Mirror.
