Representative image of a man surfing
Credit: surfingfederationofindia.org
Mangaluru: The Surfing Federation of India (SFI)— the governing body for surfing and stand-up paddling in the country— will organise the fifth edition of the Indian Open Surfing (IOS) at Sasihithlu Beach from May 31 to June 2.
The top-ranked surfers in the country will participate in the three-day surfing competition. The Karnataka government has extended its support to the event for the fifth time in a row.
The competition will include four categories: men’s open, women’s open, groms (U-16) boys and groms (U-16) girls.
Indian Open of Surfing will be the second stop of the National Championship series of the 2024 calendar year, following the International Surfing Festival Kerala 2024, held in March.
The IOS will feature the intense rivalry between surfers from the east and west coasts, as these championships carry important ranking points to determine the surfers’ standings at the end of the season.
“We are happy to extend our support to the organisers of the Indian Open of Surfing - Surfing Swami Foundation and Mantra Surf Club under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India,” DC Mullai Muhilan said.
Hosting a national-level competition in such a beautiful and serene part of the state can attract more visitors from different parts of the country, he added.
Arun Vasu, President of the Surfing Federation of India, said: “Our goal is simple, we want to elevate India to the top in surfing.
After a successful start to the national series in Kerala, we are glad to continue the championships in Mangaluru before the championship tour moves to the east coast.”
Ramesh Budihal, Harish M, Srikanth D, and Manikandan M will be the surfers to watch out for in the men’s category, having performed exceptionally well in the last national championship recently held in Kerala. In the women’s category, Kamali Moorthy, Srishthi Selvam and Sandhya Arun are among the participants competing for the top honors. In the U-16 boys section, all eyes will be on teen sensation Kishore Kumar who has stunned everyone with his recent performances.
Rammohan Paranjape, Vice President, SFI and Director, Mantra Surf Club said: “We are hoping for a really good turnout of all top surfers in the country and a very close competitive battle between the best. The last two editions of IOS have produced the best action with close finishes at the end.”