CHENNAI: The first edition of The Covelong Classic 2021 National Surf and SUP championships was flagged off by Dr M Mathiventhan, Minister for Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu on Monday. Also present at the event were B Chandra Mohan, principal secretary to the Government Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments Department and chairman of TTDC, Sandeep Nanduri, director of Tourism and MD of TTDC, and AR Rahul Nadh, IAS officer. Surfing Federation of India’s president Arun Vasu, who was the organiser of the event, welcomed the gathering.
Surfers from across the country had registered for the event in three categories — Groms and under-16, the men’s open and the women. The Men SUP (Stand Up Paddle) was scheduled for Tuesday.Events on day one began with the open men’s category followed by the under-16 category. Watching the surfers ride their wave with poise and focus to qualify to the next round was a sight for sore eyes.
The Groms under 16 category was full of action with the young stars displaying immense talent. Srikant D, Naveen Kumar and Kishore Kumar moved into the quarterfinals, with Srikanth taking the highest scoring wave of the day. In the men’s open, the defending champions Ramesh Budihal and Manikandan D move onto the third round.
The Covelong Classic 2021 is organised by SFI, Quest Academy and Surf Turf and powered by TT Group, Tamilnadu Tourism Development Corporation, Videim, Radiance Realty, Quest Academy and Surf Turf. With all Covid protocols, it was a welcome relief to see surfing action on the East Coast.