Red Bull Outriggd – giving wiiings to an age-old sport

Red Bull Outriggd returned for 2021, bringing back the age-old tradition of outrigger canoeing to Sri Lanka after a two-year absence.

Through this interesting competition of Outrigger canoeing, the mind and body were put to the ultimate test as the participants took on the choppy waters of the Indian Ocean for the first time in an outrigger canoe. The age-old sport of outrigger boat racing is one amongst the many competitive events keenly contested in waterfront villages and regions of the island.

Red Bull Outriggd was organized to fuel passion and inspire a nation by taking a homegrown sport to the world. Bringing communities together and igniting the passion for unique adventure sports amongst Sri Lankans, Red Bull Outriggd grabbed the attention of a variety of contestants. From corporates to villages bordering waterfronts, this distinctive event further appealled to adventure-seekers, sports lovers, Paddle Associations, fishing communities and even students! Red Bull Outriggd is more than just a contest; the event is a competition and celebration with side activities for every participant and viewer.

All the action took place on November 6, 2021, at Port City, Colombo and this is the very first water sport event which took place on the beach promenade inside the Port City, Colombo Sri Lanka.

Red Bull Outriggd had 70+ participant from around the island. A mix of traditions and experiences came together to take up this challenge. Red Bull Outriggd racetrack consisted of a few obstacles to overcome and it was not easy as it looked. Red Bull always gives a little twist and innovation to make any game interesting, wanting to give a memorable experience to their participants.

The champions were chosen under Men’s doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mix doubles categories and it was great to see women’s participation in a sport which challenges the body and mind.

Teams from Kelaniya took home both the Women’s and Mixed titles, while placing 3rd in the Men’s final. Kelaniya 03’s pair Tharushi Dewmini Kure and Nimeshika Sudarshini Perera won the Women’s final, while Kure partnered with WPS Piyadarshana to claim the Mixed title for Kelaniya 09. Mohomed Rasan and Ajeesh Khan of Balalu Wewa 02 dominated the Men’s final.

The very first Red Bull Outriggd took place in the waters of Diyawannawa in 2019 and due to Covid19 challenges Red Bull did not have this event in it’s calendar in 2020.

Full Results