Paddlers from Kerala have been hoarding medals in canoeing and kayaking at the National Games and Asian games for ages. Many have represented India on several international platforms. But none for white water kayaking.
“This form of kayaking is a novelty for Kerala. So far, we have been paddling on still waters and practising in the Punnamada lake in Alappuzha. We recently started noticing white water kayaking, thanks to the Malabar River Festival,” Beena S., secretary of the Kerala Kayaking and Canoeing Association (KKCA), told The Hindu.
Ironically, the Kerala Sports Council has not recognised white water kayaking as an event, even though it is part of the National Games, Asian games, and Olympics. The organisers of the Malabar River Festival have brought the issue to the notice of the Sports Minister who promised favourable action.
Besides Kozhikode, other rivers in the upland regions of the State that originate from the Western Ghats could also be suitable for the sport, a possibility that needs to be explored. Another destination has already been identified in Kottayam district, Ms. Beena said.
The vice president of the Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association, she is an expert kayaker herself. She bagged a bronze and a silver medal in the Asian Games in 1994 and is a winner of the State government’s G.V. Raja Award for excellence in sports.
“Kayaking is a very rewarding sports event. The winners at various sporting events get attractive prize money. Those still in school or college get grace marks for higher education. As for white water kayaking, the KKCA has plans to open a hostel in Kozhikode district to impart training to young kayakers,” Ms. Beena said.
She is also optimistic that India will be able to send a kayaking and canoeing team to the Paris Olympics next year. “So far, no Indian has participated in the Olympics in any of these events. We have not been able to qualify as none of us could finish the slalom in the prescribed time. However, the new paddlers are much better, which gives us hope,” she said.
The IKCA had conducted selection trials for the kayak cross/extreme slalom (amateurs) event at Pulikkayam as part of the Malabar River Festival. Their scores here, along with those at a similar event in Meghalaya, besides their performances in the Asian Games will be taken into consideration while forming the team.
