India’s first official national Surfing and Stand up Paddle (SUP) competition got under way at the renowned beach town of Kovalam in Kerala on 3rd/ 4th/ 5th May 2013.
India’s first official national Surfing and Stand up Paddle (SUP) competition got under way at the renowned beach town of Kovalam in Kerala on 3rd/ 4th/ 5th May 2013.
Surfing Federation of India which is the national governing body for surfing in India organised this event with the support of Kerala Tourism Department.
The three-day event had Surfing competition for groms (under 16), juniors (under 21), seniors (under 28) and masters (over 29) categories. The event also had SUP race for SUP enthusiasts with two categories under 25 and above 25.
The event also saw few foreign surfers taking part in the Open category. All together, more than 100 participants from around the country took part in Spice Coast Open.
The event also saw Jonty Rhodes, ex-South African cricketing star who is also an avid surfer, with a huge fan base in India inaugurating the event with some inspiring words to all the participants. Later he addressed the media about surfing, surf culture and praised the efforts of SFI in promoting the sport in India.
Surfing Federation of India had also roped in international ISA judges from Thailand to preside over the event.
Over the course of three days, the event had excellent crowd turnout with a lot of curiosity to know about the sport of surfing. The event got extensive national media coverage and wide publicity throughout the duration of the event.
Spice Coast Open came to an end with prize distribution ceremony which included surf trophies, cash awards and many consolation prizes for winners and participants.
Surfing Federation of India is already looking forward to next year to make Spice Coast Open a much bigger and better event than this year.
Here’s the list of Indian nationals who won the first official surfing competition in India held by Surfing Federation Of India.
LOCAL GROMS – UNDER 16
LOCAL JUNIOR – AGE 16-22
LOCAL SENIOR – AGE 22-28
LOCAL MASTER – ABOVE 28
LOCAL WOMEN