DOZENS of teams of Bangladeshi canoeists from around the country will be heading to Oxford's rivers this summer for a new national competition.

Restaurateur Aziz-Ur Rahman has organised the first Annual National Nouka-Baich Day, which will be held on Sunday, August 24.

Teams from several cities, including Cheltenham, Birmingham and Milton Keynes will take part in the nouka-baich - traditional Bangladeshi canoe racing - on the River Thames at Donnington Bridge.

Mr Rahman said: "I wanted to give something back to Oxford and the whole of the UK and I thought this would be a great idea, bringing the most traditional sport of Bangladesh to the River Thames.

"There has been a real problem getting people from ethnic backgrounds on to the river in the past, but this has got people very excited.

"We have at least a dozen teams registered so far and about another half-a-dozen are expected to sign up."

Oxford will be represented by a team from the newly-formed Bangladeshi Boat Club, which Mr Rahman helped to set up.

Mr Rahman brought the 40ft Bangladeshi canoes, which will be used for the race, over from Bangladesh last year to celebrate the Go With The Flow Festival.

He said that the event inspired him to organise the new nouka-baich day in conjunction with the Oxfordshire Bangladeshi Association.

He said: "I feel this event could go on to attract teams from around the world, not just the UK. Other cities could have done this - London could have. But it is Oxford that is leading the way.

"I can see this event becoming really big, perhaps as big as the Cowley Road Carnival. That started small, but last year there was 25,000 people there."

Peter Travis, chairman of the Falcon Rowing Club, has been brought in to help.

Mr Travis said: "The British Canoe Union, which is the governing body behind canoeing in the UK, is very excited by this event and is supporting it 100 per cent.

"It's a real breakthrough in trying to get ethnic minorities involved in canoeing and rowing.

"For some reason there has been a glass wall around the sport when it comes to getting ethnic minorities involved, but this has changed things completely."