With paddlers of international repute ensuring their participation, the splendour of the Malabar River Festival, the third edition of which will be held at Thusharagiri from July 22 to 26, is all set to hit a new high this time.
Two-time world extreme kayaking champion Joe Morley from the United Kingdom, 2012 London Olympics finalist Mike Dawson from New Zealand, and noted kayaker from Italy Max Benetton are among the names to be featured at the event, the organisers told The Hindu .
In terms of the quality of the competitors and the amount of prize money, which has been raised from Rs.4.5 lakh to Rs.7 lakh this year, this will be the largest kayaking championship in Asia, said Manik Taneja, one of the key organisers and kayaking trainer of Medras Fun Tools, which provides technical support for the event. More than 50 contestants from around 20 countries including Germany, Poland and Russia have registered for kayaking events and the entries this time are expected to go over 75, Mr. Taneja said.
The Malabar River Festival, comprising an international kayaking championship, rafting sessions and kayaking training programmes, is being organised by the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) in collaboration with the Kerala Kayaking Academy and Madras Fun Tools.
The championship will be held at Iruvanjipuzha and Chalippuzha, two of the best white waters in south India.
“We will offer free training for selected applicants in kayaking,” V.D. Joseph of the Kerala Kayaking Academy, said.
With the area experiencing a good pre-monsoon showers, the rivers are replenished and are ready for the festival, said Mr. Joseph.Details can be had fromhttp://www. keralarafting.com,http://www.kayaksession.com /
Phone: Jerry Mathew 94 00 05 67 53 (Rafting), Manik Taneja 09740067323, (Kayaking), and V.D. Joseph 9447637079 (Malabar River Festival).
Claimed to be the largest kayaking championship in Asia, the festival will be held at Thusharagiri from July 22 to 26.
