Red Bull Vallam Vali Turns Keralam's Iconic Boat Racing Tradition Into A 'Tug Of Oars' Spectacle
From Vallam kali to 'Tug of Oars': Red Bull Vallam Vali puts a fresh spin on Keralam's boat racing tradition
Red Bull Vallam Vali is a unique celebration of Keralam's traditional boat racing culture, coupled with a competitive, and high-energy twist. Conducted as a day-long invitational event featuring Keralam's rich sporting culture, Season 2 of Red Bull Vallam Vali combined the traditional spirit of Keralam's Vallam kali (boat race) and Vadam Vali (tug-of-war), at the scenic and historic Gothuruth in North Paravur.
Red Bull Vallam Vali features two disciplines, the Chundan Vallam Row Off and the Churulan Vallam. In both the categories Punnamada Panthers and Vembanad Vikings reached the finals, with Punnamada Panthers eventually winning both titles.
The Two Disciplines
Red Bull Vallam Vali 2026 was contested across two categories, on two different types of traditional boats:
Chundan Vallam Row Off - a tug-of-war on water between two 85-man snake boats, bow to bow, each crew rowing in the opposite direction.
Iruttukuthy Vallam Row Off - two teams of 27 rowers on the same boat, rowing against each other in opposite directions.
The Boats
Chundan Vallam is a 100-foot (30-metre) snake boat used for the most famous boat races conducted on Keralam's backwaters during the festival of Onam.
Iruttukuthy Vallam is a type of sport boat used in competition and mostly known for its incredible speed on still water.
Scoring and Format
Both the categories were conducted on a round-robin basis, wherein every team played three matches, before the top two made it to the final.
The winner walked away with 2 points; and if neither Vallam had been pulled across the finish marker after 120 seconds, the team whose Vallam was farthest from the Centre Line at the STOP announcement was declared the winner.
If two or more teams finished the league phase on the same number of points, the team with the lowest aggregate time taken to secure its winning match or matches, ranked higher and qualified. If a tie remained, the Organising Committee decided the applicable tie-break or play-off procedure.
At the heart of the action were the participating teams - Ashtamadi Acers, Kuttanad Knights, Vembanad Vikings and Punnamda Panthers.
"Keralam's traditional boat races are an integral part of our cultural and sporting identity, bringing together communities through teamwork, rhythm and a shared passion for our waterways. Red Bull Vallam Vali presents this rich tradition in a new and exciting format, while retaining the spirit that makes Vallamkali so special. It is encouraging to see Keralam's heritage being celebrated in ways that connect with new audiences and showcase the energy, culture and sporting spirit of our state," said, Shri Advocate V. D. Satheesan, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Keralam.
The Gothuruth Vallamkali is one of the oldest traditional boat races in Ernakulam district, Keralam. It is a celebration of sporting competition infused with cultural and religious traditions. It was first conducted in 1938 and is held annually in September on the Periyar River. This year, the same venue hosted a tug of war between boats at Red Bull Vallam Vali.
The celebrations at Red Bull Vallam Vali in Gothuruth extended beyond the backwaters of the River Periyar. The banks came alive with captivating Chenda Melam drum performances and the unmatched energy of breakdance, bringing together Keralam's rich cultural traditions and contemporary energy, where culture was the main course, and the curry was never far behind.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a press release)