The much awaited Indian Open of Surfing is back to enthrall water sports enthusiasts with its second edition to be held on 26-28 May at the Sasihithlu beach in Mangaluru.
The event, a part of the Karnataka Surfing Festival, is set to witness over 120 national and international participants battling it out against the high waves of the Arabian Sea.
“It’s a proud moment for us to host the second edition of the Indian Open of Surfing this year. The sport is still nascent and the kind of success we received in the first edition last year only made us confident of the popularity of the sport across the coastal belt of the country,” Ram Mohan Paranjpe, vice-president, Surfing Federation of India said in a statement on Wednesday.
The water sports event is well backed by the International Surfing Association and Surfing Federation of India and aims to promote Karnataka Tourism with the exciting sport that was included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“What’s more interesting is that now this love for water sports are not just limited to the coastal belts but it has started penetrating to cities in the country as well,” Paranjpe added.
From India, India’s first ever female surfer Ishita Malviya, top Indian surfers Sinchana Gowda, Aneesha Nayak, Dharini Selvakumar, Manikandan and Sekar Pitchai, and top Indian standup paddler Tanvi Jagadish will be seen riding the waves for the top slot in their respective categories.
The competition will see both men and women vie for the top spot under nine categories that are as follows:
Surfing: Novice- Indians Under 14 (Never surfed in a surfing competition before or Surfed for 12 months or less) | Indian Groms- Under 16 | Indian Juniors (17 to 22) | Indian Seniors (22 to 30) | Indian Master (Above 30) | Women of all age | Open category – Indians & Foreigners | Stand Up Paddling: Men & Women