Raphael Warjri

The Whitewater Village on the Umtrew river in Umtham, Ri Bhoi district is gearing up to become India's adventure hot spot with the focus on over 80 International and national athletes set to participate in the Megha Kayak Fest, which is scheduled to be held from October 12-14th, 2023.

The MKF is an international Whitewater Kayaking competition that will include two central events: The Downriver Sprint (DRS) where competitors are required to kayak straight down a 400-meter-long, challenging white-water section. And The Canoe Slalom Cross (CSLX) Indian National Championship, in which 4 competitors race head-to-head in an elimination race format. This is recognised by the International Canoe Federation (ICF) as an official Olympic event and will be introduced for the first time in the Olympic Games of 2024.

The event organisers are pleased to announce that this year's event is set to become one of the largest adventure sports events in India. The list of such accomplished athletes participating in the event is growing by the day and the organizers expect athletes belonging
to about 15 nations to compete.

The aim of this festival is to promote adventure tourism and help establish Meghalaya as one of the major water sports destinations globally. With so many internationally well-acclaimed adventure sports athletes visiting Meghalaya to compete in this year's festival, it brings to it the international media and focus as well. The organisers are confident that this event will provide a much-needed impetus for the state to become one of the leading adventure sports destination world wide.