Have you ever watched in awe as surfers, swish and agile, tackle the waves at the Coromandel coast? Chennai’s many surf colleges at any given level of time, have a clutch of newbies making an attempt to grasp the fundamentals of this floor water sport alongside expert athletes who’ve received laurels over the final decade.
As fascination for this sport continues to develop, the sandy shores of Mamallapuram that has nurtured this browsing revolution is all set to host the ASF(Asian Surfing Federation) Asian Surfing Championships 2025 from August 3 to 12. Supported by the Government of Tamil Nadu, the Department of Youth Welfare & Sports Development, and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), over 150 surfers from 20 Asian nations will converge in Mamallapuram.
Mamallapuram has constant waves, and is most popular spot for surfers
| Photo Credit:
Vaibhav Gupta
“This is the first time that India will host the Asian Surfing Championships and it is a historic event for us. This is the final qualifier for the 2026 Asian Games. The last two championships were held in Maldives and this year, we were up against Japan to host the event,” says Arun Vasu, President, Surfing Federation of India.
Mahabalipuram, he says, proved to be the splendid vacation spot for the occasion given how constant the waves are, in addition to how accessible the place is for journey, lodging and different logistics for athletes from throughout the world. “For the last decade or so, we have been promoting Tamil Nadu as a surfing destination. This is going to be a fantastic opportunity for the surfing community here, to see world-class athletes in action,” Arun provides.
Team India, which was put collectively after a rigorous choice course of has eight athletes from Tamil Nadu of the 12 workforce members. Surfers from the twenty taking part groups will compete in the Open Men, Open Women, Under 18 Boys and Under 18 Girls classes.
For now, all hopes are pinned on good climate persisting all through the competitions. “Anyone can come in and watch; they can go down to the beach right in front of the Shore temple,” Arun says.
The ASF Asian Surfing Championships 2025 will happen from August 3 to 12 in Mamallapuram. For additional particulars and the schedule, log onto surfingfederationofindia.org
