The 79th Madras Colombo Regatta will take place in Colombo on Saturday, the Colombo Rowing Club announced. The competition will be held at the Colombo Rowing Club (CRC) premises under the patronage of Minister of Sports Faiszer Musthapha, who will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest.
The Madras Colombo Regatta will cover a rowing distance of 1000 yards, while the Madras Colombo Masters race will be over 500 metres. The prestigious Deepam Trophy and Adyar Trophy will be awarded to the Men’s and Women’s overall winners, respectively.
The Men’s races include two categories – A and B – under which Coxless Four, Coxless Pair, Double Scull, and Single Scull races will be held. The women’s meet will also include Coxless Four, Coxless Pair, Double Scull, and Single Scull races.
As the birthplace of rowing in Sri Lanka, the CRC has played a pivotal role in nurturing and popularising the sport in the country. Since its inception in 1864, CRC’s constitution has predominantly focused on the promotion and propagation of the sport in Sri Lanka and has made substantial investment for improving facilities. The Club also provides numerous amenities for school children and the youth to develop their sporting prowess at a nominal fee and at present supports the growth of nearly 1000 active oarsmen and oarswomen in the Western Province. The Club spearheads scores of rowing regattas year round with the participation of schools and universities, as well as local and international clubs. Established in 1867, only three years after the inception of CRC, the Madras Boat Club is one of the oldest clubs in India, found in the placid backwaters of Ennore. The close proximity between the two countries has largely contributed towards the maintaining of close relations between the two clubs for many years.
The Madras Colombo Regatta is one of the oldest boat races and oldest inter-club boat races in the world. Only two other globally renowned boat races precede it, namely the Oxford-Cambridge race, which has been held in London’s Thames River since 1839, and the Harvard Yale boat race in the United States, which began in 1854.
– Pic by Isuru Perera
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