The Champions Boat League (CBL), the annual sporting event designed to make Kerala popular among travelers worldwide and to keep its traditional festivals alive, will get going after a gap of two years from September 4.

The CBL features the state’s iconic snake boats (Chundan Vallom) and it’s a visual treat to watch their course through the emerald backwaters, creating a zest and zeal.

The boat races will be held in 12 venues across five districts. The inaugural leg will be held at Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha, alongside the Nehru Trophy Boat Race on September 4. It will conclude with the President’s Trophy Race at Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam on November 26.

Apart from these, there will be a competition of small boats at Chaliyar River in Kozhikode to popularize snake boat races in the Malabar region, Tourism Minister P. A. Mohamed Riyas said.

Kerala, with over 600 km of coastline and 44 rivers, has a great potential to host more water-based sports, as the daily life and festivals are closely linked with water bodies, Tourism Director P.B. Nooh said.

The first edition of the CBL in 2019 was won by Tropical Titans (Pallathuruthy Boat Club), followed by Raging Rowers (Karichal) and Mighty Oars (NCDC Devas).