KOCHI: Sachin Tendulkar will grace the opening ceremony of India’s first-ever water-based boat racing league on Punnamada Lake in August.
The bidding ceremony to determine the owners of the nine franchises that will compete in the inaugural edition of the Champions Boat League will take place at Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty on Thursday, the organisers have confirmed.
As reported earlier, bidders can share their expression of interest to [email protected]. Kerala Tourism Department, along with agency consortium led by E factor Entertainment and The Social Street, is managing the bid process.
Several Indian corporates with interest in national sports leagues have evinced keen interest, the organisers said at a press conference in Tiruvananthapuram on Saturday. Celebrities have also shown interest in associating with the event, the organisers have asserted.
“Every detail has been worked out meticulously for the hassle-free conduct of the event. The preparations are moving to the final stages,” Deccan Chronicle quotes state tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran as having said at a press conference in Tiruvananthapuram on Saturday, while also disclosing the structure, schedule and other details of the three-month-long event.
Surendran also launched the CBL website (www.championsboatleague.in) and jerseys for the oarsmen of the nine participating teams, besides unveiling the trophy of CBL and releasing a promo video.
There is a total of Rs 59 million prize money for CBL. The first three winners of each match will get Rs 500,000, Rs 300,000, and Rs 100,000 respectively. Moreover, all participants will get a bonus cash prize of Rs 400,000 for each match.
To attract high-profile bidders, Kerala Tourism has dangled an array of benefits through sponsorships and TV and digital rights. The teams will be participating in 12 races across 12 locations on 12 weekends.
All races will be held in the afternoon: between 2.30 pm and 5 pm. The CBL winner will get a cash prize of Rs 2.5 million, while those finishing second and third receive Rs 1.5 million and Rs 1 million, respectively.
Tickets for the boat races can be booked online through ‘Book my Show’ platform. Around 20 counters will also be set up in all the venues for spot purchase of tickets, priced between Rs 100 and Rs 3,000.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will flag off CBL on August 10 on the sidelines of the famed Nehru Trophy Boat Race.
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