Amidst the controversy surrounding the final of the 70th edition of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race (NTBR) held on Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha last week, the Village Boat Club (VBC) Kainakary, which finished the race in close second, has urged the Nehru Trophy Boat Race Society (NTBRS), the organiser of the event, to appoint an expert panel to reexamine the final race results.
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In the final, Karichal Chundan (snakeboat), rowed by the Pallathuruthy Boat Club (PBC), defeated Veeyapuram Chundan of the VBC Kainakary in a nail-biting finish. According to the official results, Karichal crossed the finish line in 4:29.785 minutes, just ahead of Veeyapuram, which clocked 4:29.790 minutes.
Speaking to reporters here on Monday, VBC Kainakary president C.G. Vijayappan and secretary Saju Sebastian claimed that from the video footage of the final, it was very clear that Veeyapuram had crossed the finish line ahead of Karichal. The club formally filed a complaint with District Collector Alex Varghese, who is also the chairperson of the NTBRS.
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“The NTBRS should appoint an expert panel with at least three members and reexamine the results under the guidance of the Jury of Appeal Committee. The NTBRS should rectify its mistake and declare Veeyapuram Chundan rowed by the VBC Kainakary as the winner of this year’s NTBR,” Mr. Sebastian said. The club threatened to move the Kerala High Court if there was no favourable decision.
The VBC Kainakary alleged that when the final race results were initially displayed on the screen, both Karichal and Veeyapuram were shown to have finished at the same time of 4:29.79 minutes. “We don’t understand how the NTBRS declared Karichal and the PBC the winner based on a mere five millisecond difference. They should have at least clarified this to the captains of other boats that competed in the final. We strongly believe the NTBRS officials have sided with PBC,” Mr. Sebastian added.
The club also alleged that the PBC had used oars made of wood in the race, which was against the rules. Immediately after the final, VBC members staged a protest at the Nehru Pavilion regarding the result. The club alleged that their members were removed by the police using force.
Meanwhile, the Kumarakom Town Boat Club (KTBC), which finished third (4:30.13 minutes) rowing Nadubhagom Chundan, also filed a complaint with the NTBRS chairperson via email alleging that a flaw on the part of the starter denied them a fair and equal start in the final of the NTBR. KTBC officials said that a motor boat was lying on the race track, 100 metres in front of the snakeboat, and the rowers had gestured to the starter not to begin the race, who did not heed the call. .