CHENNAI: The waves off the coast in Mahabalipuram are set to grace the wave-blades of top surfers as the week-long Asian Surfing Championships is set to kick-off on Sunday. The event is crucial as it serves as a qualifier to next year's Asian Games at Aichi Nagoya, Japan. Over 150 athletes from 20 Asian countries have landed here to prove their mettle as well as grab quotas for the Asian Games. India have already been secured two quotas last year and this event will give them an opportunity to grab some more.
For Surfing Federation of India's (SFI) president Arun Vasu, this Asian meet is of a huge significance. Apart from overlooking the sport since 2012 (when the organisation was not even recognised by the sports ministry), organising this tournament, he reckons, is a big step towards matching the world standards, something he saw in the 2023 and 2024 Asian meets in Maldives. "When we travelled there, we saw how they maintained their standards in organising tournaments. It's an amazing opportunity for our Indian team because one, of course, to compete at such a (high) level and secondly, it's their home break," he added.
Eight of the 12 Indian team athletes are from Tamil Nadu and have trained in the same waters that they are set to compete in. Senior national champions like Kishore Kumar and Kamali P are expected to put on a strong show.
In his interaction with the team and the coach, in their training sessions, Vasu saw that they are "charged up," for the surfing meet. "The team that we have right now, I think we have got the best, (if not) one of the best teams and they've all gone through the process of our national series. So I think we have a good chance to get a couple of more slots (for the Asian Games). The coach (Samai Reboul) has been working hard and the players have been on the camps for the last eight to nine months, nonstop," he added.
He felt that the conditions will also influence the chances. "The waves are good for the first three days. A dip in the same is predicted for the next few days but it is expected to get back up again," Vasu added.
Vasu also touched on how this tournament is a landmark achievement in his journey as someone who has been closely involved with the growth of the sport since 2012. "It's been a work in progress ever since then - from establishing the first surfing school to finally getting recognised. I would like to credit my team for their non-stop work. With the Asian meet, hosting it feels overwhelming and satisfying. The Tamil Nadu government was the only government that backed us with events. Yes, we had to raise money outside as well because it's expensive, but at least, they were there to support us and said, okay, let's go for it," he said.
The Asian meet will be streamed live on YouTube, by the handles run by the Asian Surfing Federation
