When one imagines snake boats (chundan vallam), one is immediately transported to the land of the backwaters with huge palm trees fencing the lanes. These snake boats have been a part of Kerala’s history and continue to be an important part of its rituals and festivities even today.
The famed snake boat races conducted annually in Kerala are magnificent events that no one would want to miss. Hence, owing to the mass appeal of this event, the Kerala Government has decided to conduct Champions’ Boat League (CBL) as an annual event in August-November.
The shores are about to reverberate the loud cheers of the oarsmen. Get ready to witness the Speed Kings in action on the backwaters of Kerala. #ChampionsBoatLeague #Kayaking pic.twitter.com/VmHiYi1bZY
— Kerala Tourism (@KeralaTourism) July 19, 2019
Reportedly, CBL has been adopted from the Indian Premier League (IPL) model to transform the state’s legendary snake boat races into a world-class sporting event. Sachin Tendulkar is expected to grace the opening ceremony of India’s first-ever water-based boat racing league.
Kerala tourism is expecting Indian corporates and celebrities to take active part in franchisee acquisitions of the participating CBL teams. The last date for bidding for the nine teams of CBL is Thursday.
#KeralaTourism is expecting bigwigs from the Indian corporate sector and celebrities for franchisee acquisitions of Kerala Tourism's inaugural #ChampionsBoatLeague.
Photo: IANS pic.twitter.com/IiwMa07HDt
— IANS Tweets (@ians_india) July 24, 2019
The inaugural edition of the CBL will see nine participating teams taking part in 12 races across six districts in three months starting in August.
The race will start with the Nehru Trophy Boat Race on August 10, 2019, at Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha and conclude at the President’s Trophy Boat Race at Kollam on November 1, which is apparently the day when Kerala celebrates the state formation day.
According to Kerala Tourism, CBL is the country’s first-ever water-based sports league for which a special purpose vehicle (SPV) will be set up. The government is also planning to spend around Rs 40 crores on the event. The CBL winner will get a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh, while those finishing second and third can claim Rs 15 lakh and Rs 10 lakh respectively. Special galleries will be set up for people paying to watch the races.
It is wonderful to see the government preserving the state’s heritage and attempting to place this historically significant sport on the world map.
The first of a kind event will not only help generate revenue for the state but will also support local businesses, artisans and sportsmen along with keeping the love for regional sports alive.