CHENNAI: With an eye on the 2028 Olympic Games, Tamil Nadu will be hosting an International Surf Open, part of the World Surf League (WSL), at Mahabalipuram from August 14-20 this year.
It will be the first such event organised in India. Though it was already announced in the TN assembly a few days ago, Tamil Nadu sports minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Tuesday formally vetted it and extended the government’s full support to the Surfing Federation of India (SFI) and Tamil Nadu Surf Association (TNSA) in conducting the international event.
“Surfing being an Olympic sport has become a priority. This international tournament offers a remarkable platform for our surfers to demonstrate their abilities and bring pride to our nation,’’ he told the press conference before handing over a cheque of Rs 2.67 crore sanctioned by the government to SFI president Arun Vasu.
In the last few years, Tamil Nadu has emerged as a surfing destination in India with a good talent pool both in the Groms (16&under) and open men’s categories. Out of 20 top national surfers, 19 are from the state. Arun Vasu, who is also the chairman cum managing director of TT Group that nurtured surfing culture in Tamil Nadu, said International Surf Open, a WSL QS 3000 event, would see participants from some 12-14 countries and about 80-100 surfers.
“The TNSA would like to thank the TN government for its support and sponsorship in bringing this world-class event to the state. What started as a drop in the ocean 10 years ago in Kovalam has now put Tamil Nadu and India on the world map for surfing. Our focus in the next five years will be to train young kids and establish India as a force in the world surfing scene,” said Vasu. The QS 3000 event carries a total prize money of $45,000 and 3,000 Tour points and would feature top surfers from Asia and Australia.
Also, surfers who were currently not eligible for the Championship Tour events will be able to compete in the qualifying series of events and earn points towards qualifying for the following year’s Championship Tour events. The qualifying series comprises QS 10,000, QS 5,000, QS 3,000, QS 1,500 and QS 1,000 level events. At the WSL10 wild cards for top Indian surfers.
Vasu said WSL is giving 10 wild cards for top Indian surfers. In the lead-up to the WSL-QS 3,000 event, the TNSA along with SFI would be hosting a series of 3 national-level surf competitions — “The East Coast Challenge” and the top 10 surfers would receive a wild card entry for the QS 3,000 event. The qualifying series events would be held at Pondicherry (Pondicherry Surf Challenge — July 29 and 30); Mahabalipuram Point Break Challenge (August 5 and 6) and the Covelong Classic (August 12 and 13).
Atulya Mishra, additional chief secretary, of Youth Welfare and Sports Development, told TNIE, since surfing was an Olympic sport, the local surfers are eligible for government scholarships. “I encourage the budding surfers, who need financial support, to apply for various scholarships and contact the Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority for necessary guidance.”
Why Mahabs for Intl surfing event?
1 During the surf season from May to September, Mahabalipuram has world-class waves attracting domestic and international adventure tourists.
2 Mahabs has hosted many local and national surf competitions in the past 10 years.
