Women break bra-chain world record

PAPHOS, Cyprus - Women on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus created the world's longest chain of bras yesterday, linking together nearly 115,000 of the garments covering 111 km, organisers said.

The group of Dutch, British and Cypriot organisers took nearly nine hours to create the chain at the harbour in the resort of Paphos, following a year of painstaking planning.

Their success will shove Singapore, which had held the record since 2003 with 79,000 bras, off the top spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Women from as far afield as Alaska, Brazil, Martinique and Iran contributed bras to the record attempt, aimed at raising awareness of breast cancer.

Even the British solders based in Cyprus took part helping organisers move the bags of bras and lay the chain.

"I can't believe we really did it," said Louise van Rooij, a Dutch resident of Cyprus, one of the two women whose idea it was to attempt to break the record.

A logistics company carried out the official count to certify the record attempt on Saturday. The final count was 114,782, van Rooij said.

The bras will be stored in Cyprus and organisers will contact the Red Cross to find them a good home, van Rooij said.

Organisers are also building up a database which will send out SMS text alerts to women in high-risk groups and schedule online screenings. They have collected 4,000 names so far.

Breast cancer kills about 400,000 women worldwide each year. Doctors say regular screening, particularly for women over 50, is vital for early detection crucial to survival rates.

- REUTERS