The President’s Trophy Boat Race is organised annually at the Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam district. The first race was held in 2011. Smt. Prathibha Patil, the then President of India, had come to see the race, which resulted in the event getting the name the President’s Trophy Boat Race. The 1,200-metre track extends from the Thevalli bridge across Ashtamudi Lake to the boat jetty near KSRTC bus station. There width is ten metres and there are four tracks.
In 2011, 16 Chundan boats were a part of the water miracle. Apart from this competitions were also held for Vayppu, 2 grades of Iruttukuthi and Thekkempadi. The first President’s trophy was won by the boat called Sree Ganeshan of the Kollam St. Francis Boat Club. The boat race is held annually on November 1, which is also the Kerala Piravi day. Now, the event has been included as a part of the Champion’s Boat League. The President’s Trophy Boat Race also used to have the second highest price money for boat races in Kerala, after the Nehru Trophy Boat Race.
