Indian Open Surfing to commence on May 31 in Mangalore

The fifth season of the Indian Open Surfing (IOS) is all set to take place from May 31 to June 2. The Sasihithlu Beach in Mangalore will host the championship. The Surfing Federation of India (SFI), the governing body of surfing and stand-up paddling, confirmed the news on Monday, May 20.

Women’s Open, Men’s Open, Groms (U-16) Girls and Groms (U-16) Boys are the four categories in the tournament to be held across three days. Surfers from the west and east coasts will be plying their trade in the competition and will try to gather crucial ranking points to improve their standings at the end of the season.

“Indian Open Surfing will be the 2nd stop of the National Championship series of the 2024 calendar year, following the International Surfing Festival Kerala 2024, held in March at the beautiful cliff beach of Varkala,” the Surfing Federation of India (SFI) said in a media release.

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"We want to elevate India to the top in surfing" - Arun Vasu

Arun Vasu, the SFI president, talked about making India a powerhouse in surfing. He was quoted as saying in the release:

“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.”

In the upcoming edition of the IOS, the focus will mostly be on the likes of Harish M, Srikanth D, Ramesh Budihal, and Manikandan M in the men’s category. After impressing everyone with his recent performances, teen sensation Kishore Kumar would also want to make a mark with his skills.

Budihal, Harish, Srikanth, and Manikandan were stupendous in the national championship that took place recently in Kerala. Sandhya Arun, Kamali Moorthy, and Srishthi Selvam are the ones who will be participating in the women’s category.