Mamallapuram to Host 2025 Asian Surfing Championships: A Platform for Local and International Talent
Salt in the air, boards on the shore and a rising tide of excitement; Mamallapuram is gearing up to host the 2025 Asian Surfing Championships from Aug 3 to Aug 12 where surfers from 20 Asian countries will compete not just for medals, but for a spot at the 2026 Asian Games.
Organised by the Asian Surfing Federation (ASF) and supported by the Tamil Nadu govt and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), the championships will be held at Mamallapuram's right-hand point break, often referred to as 'Mini Snapper Rocks' by the surf community.
You Can Also Check:
Chennai AQI
|
Weather in Chennai
|
Bank Holidays in Chennai
|
Public Holidays in Chennai
The 10-day championship will feature four shortboard divisions: Open Men, Open Women, Under-18 Boys, and Under-18 Girls. Surfers will compete for gold, silver, bronze, and copper medals.
The winners of the Open Men and Open Women divisions will earn direct entry into the SurfCity El Salvador ALAS Global Finals, to be held in Nov.
Among the participants is 13-year-old Wan-Yu Chen, a champion shortboard surfer from China. 'Surfing events like this are always a great mix of challenge and community, and Mamallapuram's unique waves make it even more exciting,' she says. Chen says she has been focusing on improving her paddle strength and overall endurance.
'I feel ready and excited to give it my best.'
While global talents such as Chen prepare to make their mark, the championship is also offering local surfers a platform. 'Our training has been intense, but we still enjoy the process. Since I have surfed in Mamallapuram and also trained with my team here, I'll have a competitive advantage over surfers from other countries,' says Srikanth D, a surfer from Tamil Nadu.
Organisers are rolling out outreach programmes for coastal and fishing communities such as free surf clinics for children from nearby villages.
'There will also be water safety and rescue workshops to equip local youth with basic lifesaving skills. With career awareness sessions we hope to introduce opportunities in surf coaching, event management and eco-tourism,' says Arun Vasu, president of SFI.
'To generate wider community interest, the event will feature surf exhibitions, movie screenings and demo days. Local surf schools and NGOs will help identify promising young surfers, who may be offered training support and scholarships. We have amazing talent in the state and our goal is to help them achieve their potential,' says Vasu.
Email your feedback with name and address to southpole.toi@timesofindia.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Antim, Manisha shine at World Wrestling Championships trials; Vaishanvi has a breakthrough day to remember
It was an easy day for Paris Olympian Antim Panghal, who faced no resistance from her competitors in the 53kg category trials on Sunday at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium and booked her berth for the World Wrestling Championships. Already a World Championship medallist with bronze in the last edition, Antim went past Pooja in the semi-finals, dominating the bout and her 'fitle' move resulting in injury to her opponent. In the final, Antim was the superior wrestler and defeated Hinaben to ensure her participation at the tournament for the second time. Coming on the back of two Ranking Series wins, Antim is expected to be one of the seeded Indian wrestlers at the World Championships. The 20-year-old Antim will be hoping for some redemption after her controversial participation at the Olympics last year, where she got in trouble for misusing her accreditation after her early exit from the event. Antim admitted making 'mistakes' but insisted it was just a case of confusion in Paris. 'The federation did not have any issue with me. There was confusion, I also made mistake. I did not realise that it was getting out of hand. Olympics is different from Asian Games and World Championships. I did not know much,' she told reporters. 'There was a Games village, which was also there at the Asian Games but we had stayed at a hotel in the Asian Games (Hangzhou), there was confusion, I had never experienced such an environment. There was pressure and I spoilt my bouts due to that. Then I was asked to be at the camp. The federation has been helpful, I was sent to two tournaments where I won gold.' Antim added. Recently crowned Asian Champion Manisha Bhanwala was one of the two wrestlers in the 62 kg category and defeated Mansi Ahlawat 2-1 in the final to book her berth. In the 68 kg category Nisha Dahiya, was in action, but her return from injury (sustained during an Paris Olympics bout against Park Sol Gum) was cut short in the first round by Radhika, the eventual winner of the category Ankush won in the 50 kg category while Priya Malik overcame a stiff challenge from seasoned Kiran in the 76 kg category. The headliner of the day was Vaishnavi Patil of Maharashtra, who overcame years of falling short in the trials to achieve her first major breakthrough. The 65kg class, Vaishnavi first overcame Freedom Yadav in a bout where she trailed 0-4 but went on to win 10-6. She then defeated Haryana's Muskan 7-2 to seal her ticket. 'I am processing it right now. I have been constantly coming for trials, but I always miss out on the final berth. This feels like all of my hard work is finally paying off. However, this is just the start, and I have to win many more such matches,' Vaishnavi, who was ecstatic and almost breathless due to all the photo-op after her win, told the Indian Express on the sidelines. The selected Indian wrestlers will participate at the World Championships scheduled from 13th to 21st September in Zagreb, Croatia. The grapplers will be part of a camp organized 15 days ahead of the tournemant in Croatia, Wrestling Federation of India President Sanjay Singh confirmed. 50 kg: Ankush, 53 kg: Antim, 55 kg: Nishu, 57 kg: Tapasya, 59 kg: Neha, 62 kg: Manisha Bhanwala, 65 kg: Vaishnavi Patil, 68 kg: Radhika, 72 kg: Jyoti Berwal, 76 kg: Priya Malik
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
How India's junior squash ended a 13-year world medal wait
Mumbai: Soon after the Indian men's team lost to Korea in the quarter-finals of the 2024 World Squash Junior Championships to stumble one step short of a medal, Harinder Pal Sandhu, coach of the team for the first time, set his mind on the next edition. That not only entailed hunting for the next crop of young probables but also making a quiet promise. The Indian junior men's team won bronze at the recent world junior championships in Cairo (World Junior Squash Championships) 'To never have that feeling again, if ever the opportunity came up again,' said Harinder. It did, against the same team at the same stage. This time in Cairo, up against a more fancied, third seeded Asian champion Korea, the Indians would script a 2-1 upset and secure a medal. Although they lost to USA in the semi-finals, the bronze by the boys added to 17-year-old Anahat Singh's individual bronze from the recent world juniors. The team medal was equally significant, if not more, given that the last time an Indian men's team medalled at the prestigious event was in 2012 (bronze). Sandhesh PR, Yusha Nafees, Arihant KS and Aryaveer Dewan ended a more than decade-long wait, and showed promise in the men's game to go with Anahat's potential among the women in a sport that will make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles in 2028. Of the four medallists, only Arihant was part of the previous edition in Houston. The other first-timers were zeroed in by Harinder, a former top-50 pro whose career was curtailed by a severe back injury in 2018. The 36-year-old coach's 'eyes were locked on' the national and Asian circuit over the last year. 'I would study their games in every tournament, or whenever they came to play in Chennai. And then I would speak to each one of them every day,' Harinder said. Aryaveer, 16, won the U-17 individual gold at the Asian Junior Championships in July. He is also a 2023 U-15 US Open winner. Arihant, 18, was the India No.1 in the U-15 age group. He beat Korea's Lee Jong-hyeok in the decider, after the tie was locked 1-1. Yusha, 17, was India No.1 in the U-17 category. He gave India the 1-0 lead. Sandesh won the U-19 title at the WSC Classic Open in January. Each has different personalities and plays a different game, said Harinder. Sandesh, the No.1 player in the team, was down on confidence after a below-par individual outing. He asked Harinder to drop him down in the team order. The coach refused. Instead, he engaged the teen in plenty of talk that was at times polite and angry yet always honest. For Arihant and Sandesh, this was their last junior cycle as they prepare to step up into the demanding pro world. 'Both showed they're ready to play on the pro circuit. The game that they played over the last week was very professional, and different to what the juniors play. I hope they will reach top 100 and 50 soon,' said Harinder. 'As for Yusha and Aryaveer, they have the chance to be in the team next year too, provided they keep their level up. This was a good experience for them, and now they know how much they need to work harder if they have to change the colour of the medal.' Harinder, a multiple Asian Games medallist, singled out mindset as the biggest challenge in translating junior promise at the pro level, where many talented youngsters have faltered. In these four though he sees potential to take forward the men's game in the country. As for his coaching career, also in its young days, the team bronze is a tick but not bold enough. 'I'm thankful that SRFI (squash federation) and SAI gave me another opportunity to get this medal,' he said. 'But the satisfaction will come when I can get an Indian or Indians in the final two.'
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Vaishnavi Patil's breakthrough after heartbreaking misses, from mud wrestling Maharashtra to World Championships squad
Audible gasps went around as Vaishnavi Patil of Maharashtra took down Muskan of Haryana to win the trial for the World Wrestling Championships berth in the 65kg category at the wrestling hall at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The atmosphere was a measure of the unexpectedness of her triumph, and the most excited were the coach and the wrestlers cheering for Vaishnavi. The 22-year-old from Kalyan, Maharashtra, won an India berth for an international event for the first time, and that too for the most prestigious tournament there is, making her win even grander. Vaishnavi saw Sakshi Malik on the Olympic podium for the first time during the 2016 Rio Olympics and decided to take up wrestling on the mat. Maharashtra has a huge culture of mud wrestling, like Haryana, but it barely transitions to mat wrestling. However, Vaishnavi was adamant about taking up the sport she saw on TV after wrestling in mud. 'When I saw Sakshi Malik for the first time in 2016, I knew I wanted to do this. Mat wasn't available in my area, and I used to wrestle just in mud,' Vaishnavi told The Indian Express on the sidelines. After wrestling for four years in mud, she made the switch in 2020 and shifted to Hisar to train under her coach Jasbeer at the Sushil Kumar Akhada. 'I am processing it right now. I have been constantly coming for trials, but I always miss out on the final berth. This feels like all of my hard work is finally paying off. However, this is just the start, and I have to win many more such matches,' said Vaishnavi, who was ecstatic and almost breathless after many photo requests after her win. Vaishanvi has been a consistent presence in the wrestling selection events for the past four years. She participated in trials for the Asian Games, Asian Championships and also for the previous World Championships in 2023. However, losses in the semis and quarters would mean that she could never celebrate. 'During my earlier losses, I would get depressed and sometimes wouldn't eat after going back to the academy. But my parents and my coach would always ask me to trust the process. My father always said that your hard work is never in vain. I was losing every time, but I knew that I didn't have to leave my zidd to get better,' said Vaishnavi. Usually, athletes start early from the junior level in the sport of wrestling and progress gradually through the ranks to play at the senior level. Vaishanvi, however, will be playing directly at the World Championships without any pedigree at the junior level internationally, but purely with her never-say-die attitude. Usually, athletes are scouted by coaches, but Vaishnavi did the reverse and scouted a coach for herself. During the 2020 Khelo India Youth Games in Assam, Vaishnavi saw students from a certain academy doing well and asked her father to enquire about them. 'We saw Jasbeer's sir girls doing well, and I asked my father to check where his academy is.' After enquiring about the whereabouts, the Patil family traveled all the way from Kalyan to Hisar. 'After we came to Hisar, Coach Saab took me into his academy, and I started working slowly on my skills. I knew I had to work more than others,' she said. Her coach, Jasbeer, concurred that there was a lot of work to be done before Vaishnavi got ready to take on other wrestlers. 'Zameen aur aasmaan ka farq hai jab aayi thi aur ab mein,' Jasbeer said (There is a huge difference now from when she came here). 'She is hard hard-working kid, and after training her for the past five years, today I am the happiest. I had goosebumps sitting in the corner when Vaishnavi won the bout.' Back in Kalyan, Dilip Patil received multiple congratulatory messages and calls from journalists enquiring about his family history amid a busy day in his dhaba. 'My phone is buzzing and all of us here are very happy,' Patil told The Indian Express. 'When I sent her to train in Haryana, the only dream was that my kid represents India at the highest level.' The Patil family would take turns staying with Vaishnavi. 'Sometimes her mother would stay with her for six months, sometimes her brother, and sometimes me. This time, Coach Saab told us not to worry.' Vaishnavi would stay in Hisar for the majority of the year, but would go back to Maharashtra to fight in Dangals. 'She would go back to fight dangals, but this time I asked her parents to let her be with me as I was able to see that she is progressing rapidly,' Jasbeer said. While this is just the first step, Vaishnavi knows where she stands and what needs to be done. 'I was waiting for one chance, and I have gotten it after so many defeats, I won't let it go in vain.'
