KOZHIKODE: The fifth edition of the Malabar River Festival will witness 20 professional Kayakers from Kerala to give a tough competition to International Kayakers coming from different parts of the globe. A majority of them are Kozhikode natives who are undergoing specialized training from the Kerala Kayaking Academy and Madras Fun tools. The festival is being organised on behalf of Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society by Kerala Kayak Academy, Madras Fun tools in association with the Kozhikode District Tourism Promotion Council and Kerala Tourism. Over 100 international and nationally-reputed kayakers from 25 countries will participate in the Festival scheduled to be held between July 20 and July 23 at Thusharagiri and fight for the ‘Rapid Rajah of the Malabar’ title.
Boater Cross, Downriver time-trial, Slalom and Freestyle are among the different competitions to be conducted for the fest under two categories mainly professional and intermediate. “We are excited that more Kayakers from Kerala, professionally trained under our experts, are taking part in this year’s festival”, said Manik Taneja, one of the key organizers and kayaking trainers of Madras Fun Tools, which provides technical support for the event. In the previous year, the representation of kayakers from Kerala was less than ten, but this year it has doubled. Also, many kayakers will compete in the professional category. “They have a better advantage because they know the waves and torrents at Thusharagiri much better than foreign participants”, he added. Named ‘Asia’s biggest whitewater competition’, the organizers will host rafting for the common people and also provide a basic level of kayaking for those interested.
