NONGPOH:
The 5th edition of Megha Kayak festival 2022 started at Umtrew river in Umtham, Ri Bhoi, on October 13 with 80 International and national athletes participating in the event.
Organised by the Ri Bhoi Water Sport & Tourism Cooperative Society Ltd in collaboration with Meghalaya Tourism Department, the international Megha Kayak Festival (MKF) will witness two events, the downriver time-trail where competitors will be required to kayak down 350-meter-long challenging white-water section and the extreme slalom race wherein four competitors with race head-to-head against each other in an elimination race format.
The extreme slalom has recently been recognised by the International Canoe Federation (ICF) as an official Olympic event and will be introduced for the first time in the Olympic games of 2024.
The participants this time include current and past Olympians such as Giovanni De Gennaro (Italy), Sofia Reinoso (Mexico), Vavra Hradilek (Czech Republic); extreme kayaking world champions Nouria Newman (France) and Adrian Mattern (Germany).
The list of such accomplished athletes participating in the event is growing by the day and the organisers expect athletes belonging to over 20 nationalities to eventually be in the fray.
The Whitewater village, Umtham, which is hosting this event is equipped with world class infrastructure for the competition, including a ramp that stretches across the width of the river. Kayakers will use this ramp to launch themselves into the water at the start of the race. The visitor areas too are being upgraded to host a large number of spectators, and camping and toilet facilities are being set up in order to accommodate the visiting athletes.
The aim of this festival is to promote adventure tourism and help establish Meghalaya as one of the major water sports destinations globally. With so many internationally well acclaimed adventure sports athletes visiting Meghalaya to compete in this year’s festival, it brings to it the international media and focus as well. The organisers are confident that this event will provide a much-needed impetus for the state to become one of the leading adventure sports destinations worldwide.