The maiden President's Trophy Boat Race will be held on the Ashtamudi lake here on August 30. District Collector and boat race organising committee chairman P.G. Thomas said the trophy had been instituted in the name of the President of India.
President Pratibha Patil will be present to witness the race. Mr. Thomas said Ms. Patil would arrive in the afternoon and view the finals of the snake-boat race. She would also give away the trophy and cash prize to the winning team.
The gold-plated trophy was being made at a cost of Rs.10 lakh. The conduct of the event is expected to cost Rs.two crore.
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There would be races in five categories, namely, snake-boats, two grades of veppu boats, and two grades of ‘iruttukuthi' boats.
Sixteen snake-boats would compete in four heats. The racecourse will be the 1.2-km stretch of the lake from the Thevally palace to Boat Jetty. There will be four tracks, each 10 metre wide. The track survey had been completed, Mr. Thomas said.
The racecourse would be cleaned and dredged by August 20. Over a lakh people are expected to witness the race. The logo for the boat race had been released.
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