Royal coach puts his oar in

When Tonga makes its longboat racing de but next June it will be a royal command performance.

The team coach is the king of Tonga, Taufa’ahau Tupou IV.

The 68-year-old monarch may be portly of frame but he has recently been showing his fitness by training with the men, 45 or 50 years his junior, who will man the 28-metre racing boats.

The king, who rowed for Sydney University during the ’3os, is preparing the Tongan team to meet the challenge issued by Western Samoa to mark its independence anniversary celebrations in Apia in June.

Just before setting off on a world tour, the king visited potential crew members of the Vava’u longboat crew and displayed his technique with the paddle and led the crew

on a training run on a bicycle.

The spectacular racing canoes called “fautasi” in Samoa and “siu’a’alo” in Tonga carry 46 paddlers, 42 in double seats and four in singles. Crews from the two

Samoas have competed annually for some years in the eight kilometre event.

Training routines are strict with the crews confined to camp for two weeks before the race without alcohol, tobacco or girls.

Two “siu’a’alo” are being built in Tonga with New Zea land assistance. One is for Vava’u and the other for Ha’apai while another is ex pected to be produced for

Tongatapou.

Jim Shrimp-

ton , AAP.

The King leads the way during a training run.