BREAKING NEWS : KAYAKING AT MALABAR RIVER FESTIVAL TO BE STAR-STUDDED

TTT NEWS NETWORK

KOZHIKODE | 6 JULY 2025

Fourteen world-renowned stars are among the contestants who will be putting on test their strength and skill in the keenly-awaited kayaking competition at the Malabar River Festival beginning on  24 July 2025.

Conceived as an international white water kayaking competition organized by Kerala Tourism in collaboration with the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society, District Tourism Promotion Council and Kozhikode District Panchayat, the four-day event’s competition has technical support from the Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association.

State Tourism and Public Works Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas, while pointing out that the festival features “most prominent stars in the world of Kayaking”, said the global adventure tourism sector is looking at Kerala with hope. “We aim to make the state the country’s topmost destination for adventure tourism.”

The competitions, which are named Game of Thorns in commemoration of the famous web series, are mainly held at Pulikayam and Pullurampara. Exhibition kayaking and registration will be held at Meenthullipara on the inaugural day(July 24).

The intermediate competitions in the men’s and women’s categories are scheduled for July 25, while the professional competitions are slated for July 26. The next day will be the Downriver Super Finals in the men’s and women’s categories.

International kayaking giants Anton Sveshnikov, Daria Kuzishcheva, Ryan O’Connor (Russia), Manu Wackernagel, Zack Stones, Millie Chamberlain, Dayala Ward, Philip Palzer (New Zealand), Patrick Sheehan, Joy Todd (USA), Kilian Ivelic (Chile), Jilly Jus (Belgium), Maria (Italy) and others will be the iconic contestants at the Malabar River Festival. Professional kayakers from countries such as Nepal, Malaysia and Singapore are also participating.