{"id":5387,"date":"2026-09-24T11:54:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T11:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=5387"},"modified":"2026-09-24T11:54:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T11:54:29","slug":"indias-surfers-look-to-make-waves-at-the-2026-asian-games-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=5387","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s surfers look to make waves at the 2026 Asian Games | Sport"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kovalam and Mumbai, India \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>When Sugar Shanti Banarse and Kamali Moorthy entered their first surfing event in 2022, the girls could scarcely have imagined they would end up representing India at the Asian Games<\/a> within a few years.<\/p>\n

Though the competition at the Covelong Classic in Kovalam, about an hour\u2019s drive from Chennai in Tamil Nadu, southern India, featured just seven women among about 50 competitors, the possibility of winning was an afterthought. Their intention was to simply get a taste of competition.<\/p>\n

At 12, Moorthy was the youngest of the lot, thrilled to surf alongside some of the senior girls. She failed to catch a single wave, but the experience stayed with her. She vowed to train harder and return stronger.<\/p>\n

Finishing second was a decisive moment for Banarse, then aged 16. A recreational surfer until then, she loved the competitive aspect of the sport. In that moment, she knew she wanted to be a professional.<\/p>\n

The duo has come a long way since then. Alongside their male counterparts Kishore Kumar and Sivaraj Babu, they will take on the best continental talent at September\u2019s Asian Games in Japan, where surfing makes its debut and runs from Friday until Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been putting in the work over the last couple of years and made good progress. It\u2019s our time to shine now,\u201d Banarse told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

\"Sugar
Sugar Shanti Banarse catches a wave [Photo courtesy of the Surfing Federation of India]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even though India has thousands of miles of coastline and breaks of different kinds, it\u2019s taken a while for surfing to catch on.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s team coach Samai Reboul comes from the first generation of Indian surfers, who had few resources at their disposal. He would watch holidaymakers surf near his home in Auroville, Tamil Nadu in the late 1990s and had a go when they lent him a board. He was soon hooked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up at a time when there were no coaches, no access to training material and no surfboards. [It was] really frustrating,\u201d he told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

Surf schools started cropping up along the coast over the next few years. This is how Banarse, now 20, got her first opportunity back home in Mandrem in Goa, when she decided to accompany a friend. Moorthy, now 16, was luckier \u2013 her uncle is a surf instructor who gave her the first lesson off the coast of Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu.<\/p>\n

Kumar, 18, and Babu, 22, hail from families who fish for a living in Kovalam and Mahabalipuram, respectively. They started out by jumping into the sea on hot summer days, then body surfing, before finally hopping onto a board.<\/p>\n

\u201cA local school in Mahabalipuram would let us use surfboards in exchange for chores. There were a few boards and many boys, so a lot of fights once the patience ran thin,\u201d Babu told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

Though their lives revolved around the sea, it was difficult to get their families to understand what they were chasing.<\/p>\n

A beating awaited Kumar when his family discovered he was sneaking away to surf \u2013 they considered it a waste of his time.<\/p>\n

Babu was expected to help his father with his fishing, as his elder brother had done.<\/p>\n

Moorthy\u2019s mother, who runs a beach shack, knew what the harsh sun could do to her daughter\u2019s complexion and asked her to stay out of the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was worried I would get [too dark], but at the back of her mind, she knew I was enjoying surfing and that it would reach a point of no return. And here I am today,\u201d Moorthy says, laughing.<\/p>\n

More importantly, the sport lacked structure. Though the Surfing Federation of India (SFI) was launched in 2011, there were no regular competitions, and participants had to fend for themselves when it came to travel and accommodation. Babu doubled up as an instructor and banked on community support to make money to compete. He once had to camp in a forest during an event in Mangaluru.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family didn\u2019t quite understand the scope of what I was doing. But I had some imagination of what I wanted to achieve and persisted against their wishes,\u201d Babu says.<\/p>\n

\"Sivaraj
Sivaraj Babu in action [Photo courtesy of the Surfing Federation of India]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Turning point<\/h2>\n

Circumstances improved after Arun Vasu took over as the president of the SFI in 2020. As chairman and managing director of the prominent Indian conglomerate TT Group, he secured money from the company\u2019s Corporate Social Responsibility funds to support a handful of athletes. The older surfers were encouraged to pursue their coaching and judging licences to improve the level of domestic competitions.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Vasu worked towards getting the SFI recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. That moment arrived in March 2025, and changed the trajectory of the sport. Besides the injection of funds through the government-run Sports Authority of India, it brought stability for the SFI. Its members could now focus all their energy on growing the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first generation of Indian surfers worked really hard without much support. They\u2019ve brought us to this point where we are enjoying the benefits,\u201d Moorthy says.<\/p>\n

The goal was to prepare the athletes for the Asian Games. Reboul started monitoring the team and refining their technique during camps. A sports psychologist worked on the mental aspect of competition, while other staff focused on improving physical conditioning.<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides quality equipment, what really changed was access to cameras and software for video analysis. Even outside of camp, they could send across videos through which I could offer feedback,\u201d Reboul said.<\/p>\n

Over the last few years, the SFI has hosted prestigious competitions such as the World Surf League series and the Asian Surfing Championships, which have allowed Indians to rub shoulders with top international surfers. Trips across Asia have given them a feel for different conditions as well as elite competitions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very different from a few years ago when we had limited opportunities to train systematically,\u201d Banarse says.<\/p>\n

The Olympic dream<\/h2>\n

Their performances have shown promise. Ramesh Budihal took bronze at the Asian Surfing Championships in August 2025, and a few months later, Kumar won silver at the Asian ProAm Surf Series.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the Asian Championships last year, [Kumar] beat Ikko Watanabe of Japan, a country that is up there [with the best]. So we know it\u2019s possible [to compete],\u201d Reboul says.<\/p>\n

The focus is also on developing the next generation of surfers. SFI has joined the Asian Surf Ecosystem\u2019s Grom Patrol \u2013 youth surf training camps and competitions \u2013 and runs three age group contests (under-12s, under-14s and under-16s), with the winners qualifying for the final in Bali.<\/p>\n

Besides the talent that usually comes from fishing communities along the coast, it has attracted young surfers from cities such as Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai. And more importantly, girls who are ready to test the waters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve struggled to find women surfers, so it was really encouraging to see 15-odd girls in every competition,\u201d Vasu says. \u201cParents see a future, and these kids are hungry to learn. It makes us realise we are doing something right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indian surfers still face a number of challenges. The monsoon season means surfers need to constantly shuttle between the two coasts or travel abroad to train year-round, which requires resources. There is also a need to create a deeper pool of skilled coaches to work with young athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore of the older surfers are getting into training. This year, we brought down an experienced coach, Ivan Villalba, to conduct a programme for them,\u201d Reboul said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood training and a competitive surf culture is what is required to put India on the map, rather than get a particular athlete to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the world of Asian surfing, India is still a young nation compared to the likes of Indonesia and Japan. Competing at the Asian Games will be valuable exposure for the current crop, especially ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot has happened for Indian surfing in the recent past. Some of the guys I\u2019ll be competing against are my idols and I know I can put up a good fight for the podium,\u201d Kumar says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dream is to represent India at the Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Kovalam and Mumbai, India \u2013\u00a0When Sugar Shanti Banarse and Kamali Moorthy entered their first surfing event in 2022, the girls could scarcely have imagined they would end up representing India at the Asian Games within a few years. Though the competition at the Covelong Classic in Kovalam, about an hour\u2019s drive from Chennai in Tamil…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t