Alappuzha: In a significant decision, organisers have decided to cut the bonus by half for boat clubs that do not participate in the mass drill of the 69th Nehru Trophy Boat Race to be held at the Punnamada Lake on August 12.
This was announced after the Captains’ Clinic meeting organised by the Nehru Trophy Boat Race Society (NTBR) recently.
Starting this year, all oarswomen will have to wear a uniform tracksuit and jersey and will not be permitted to take part in the race by wearing sari. A maximum of five persons are allowed on board the boats to be rowed by women. All chunden boats, small boats, and women’s boats should train for not less than seven days. The boat race committee will monitor the training sessions and in case of a failure to meet this stipulation, it will effect a cut in their bonus.
The oarsmen and women taking part in the race must be trained swimmers and should be aged between 18 and 55, the tournament rules say.
The number of rowers on each chundan vallam must be between 75 and 95. For A-grade veppu-odi boats, the number should be 45-60, while for B-grade veppu-odi boats, it should be 25-35. The number of rowers for iruttukuthi A grade and B grade are fixed at 45-60 and 25-35, respectively. For the C-grade boats, it should be less than 25. Only 25-35 rowers can board the churulan boats, and for the thekkanodi boats by women, not less than 30 rowers will be permitted.
Besides the oarsmen, each boat should have people positioned at Nila and at Pankayam. The number of inter-state rowers on board a chundan should not exceed 25 percent of the total oarsmen or else the boat will be disqualified for the race. The boat clubs have been barred from altering or removing the number and name board (sponsorship) to be provided by the committee for display on their boats. Team members are also required to follow a strict discipline code and any violation of the code will draw a five-year ban.
All chundan boats with their oarsmen in uniform are required to line up in front of the VIP pavilion and participate in the mass drill before 2 pm on the day. The boats will not be allowed to participate if their oarsmen are found not wearing the uniform or the identity card. The race committee shall have the authority to ban the boats that do not comply with its directions from participating in the Champions Boat League.
Snake boats participating in the race shall camp on the north side of the starting point close to the starter (up to Keraleeyam Resort). Once a race is finished, no boats will be permitted to return to the track and instead will have to return to the starting point via the outer embankment between Dock Chira and Nehru Pavilion.
The preliminary round of races for smaller boats will begin at 11 am and conclude by 12.30 noon and the finals will be held soon after the heats of chundan boats. Stern action will be initiated against the smaller boats that enter the finishing point during the mass drill.
Meanwhile, the tracks and heats of the race have been decided by a draw of lots held at the Collectorate conference hall. As many as 72 boats, including 19 chundan vallams will take part in the races this time. The four boats that record the best finishes during the heats will compete in the finals.
The heats and tracks are as follows:
Heats 1
Track 1- Veeyapuram
Track 2- Vallakulangara
Track 3- Cheruthana
Track 4- Sri Mahadevan
Heats 2
Track 1- Devas
Track 2- Nadubhagam
Track 3- St. George
Track 4- Champakulam
Heats 3
Track 1- Karuvatta Srivinayakan
Track 2- Paipadan
Track 3- Mahadevikad Kattil Thekkethil
Track 4- Ayaparambu Pandi
Heats 4
Track 1- St. Pius Tenth
Track 2- Anari
Track 3- Thalavadi
Track 4- Jawahar Thayankari
Heats 5
Track 1- Karichal
Track 2- Alappadan Puthan Chundan
Track 3-
Track 4- Niranam Chundan
Churulan:
Only the final
Track 1- Velangadan
Track 2- Kodimata
Track 3- Muzhi
Track 4-
Iruttukuthi A Grade:
Only the final
Track 1- Thuruthithara
Track 2- Moonnu Thykkal
Track 3- Padakkuthira
Track 4- Mammudan
Iruttukuthi B Grade:
Heats 1
Track 1- Kurup Paramban
Track 2- Goturuth Puthran
Track 3- Thuruthippuram
Track 4- St Sebastian
Heats 2
Track 1- Sri Guruvayoorappan
Track 2- Hanuman No.1
Track 3- Jalarani
Track 4- Thaniyan The Great
Heats 3
Track 1- Ponjanathamma No.1
Track 2- Vennakalamma
Track 3- St Joseph
Track 4- Saravanan
Heats 4
Track 1- Valiya Pandithan Odivallam
Track 2- Sri Muthappan
Track 3- Puthanparambil
Track 4-
Iruttukuthi C Grade;
Heats 1
Track 1-
Track 2- Mayilpeeli
Track 3- Cheriya Pandithan
Track 4- Hanuman no. 2
Heats 2
Track 1- Pambavasan
Track 2- GMS
Track 3- Kashinathan
Track 4-
Heats 3
Track 1- Mayil Vahanan
Track 2- St Sebastian
Track 3- Gothuruth
Track 4-
Heats 4
Track 1- Vadakkumpuram
Track 2- Jibithattakan
Track 3- Srimurugan
Track 4- Sribhadra
Veppu A Grade:
Heats 1
Track 1- Ambalakkadan
Track 2- Kadavil St George
Track 3- Manali
Track 4- Shot Pulikathara
Heats 2
Track 1-
Track 2- Kottaparamban
Track 3- Punnathra Vengazhi
Track 4- Pazhassiraja
Veppu B Grade:
Only the final
Track 1- Abraham Moonnu Thykal
Track 2- PG Karipuzha
Track 3- Punathra Purakkal
Track 4- Chiramel Thottukadavan
Thekkenodi Thara:
Only the final
Track 1- Sarathy
Track 2- Kattil Thekkethil
Track 3- Devas Thekkanodi
Track 4-
Thekkenodi Kettu:
Only the final
Track 1- Company
Track 2- Chellikkadan
Track 3- Kattil Thekku
Track 4- Padinjare Paramban
