India Open of Surfing 2022 | 70 top surfers set to participate in country's biggest event
In the latest development, the India Open of Surfing 2022, the national surfing championship, is set to be held from May 27 to May 29 at the Panambur Beach in Mangalore, Karnataka. The championship is into its third year now and is being organized by the Surfing Federation of India.
The championship will be conducted over three days, which will see 70 top surfers from the country vie for the top prize. The defending champions D Manikandan and Shristi Selvam will be the star attractions at the event.
“I don’t feel the pressure of defending the national title. I will be doing my best and concentrating on my performance for the surf contest”, said D. Manikandan, the men’s defending national champion. Nithishvarun T and Babu Sivaraj, the men’s silver and bronze medallists, respectively, from the previous edition, will also be seen competing at the event.
On the other hand, 2021 silver and bronze medalists, Shanti Banarse and Sinchana Gowda will be top challengers at the event in the women's section. “It is going to be a very tough and challenging field of surfers this year,” Shristi Selvam said. “I am happy that more women are participating in the sport. It will be a fun contest, and I will be doing my best to defend the title.”
With surfing making its Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020, these championships have a lot more importance in India now. Carissa Moore (USA) became the first women’s Olympic surfing champion while Italo Ferreira (Brazil) was crowned the men’s winner. The 2024 and 2028 Games will also see surfing.