New Delhi, May 9 (Hindustan Times). The first All India Windsurfing and Kiteboarding Championship will be held from May 11 to 14 at Kovalam on the East Coast, about 40 km from Chennai city.
The tournament will be organized by the Chennai Sailing Academy (CSA) under the aegis of the Tamil Nadu Sailing Association in collaboration with the Department of Youth Welfare and Sports Development. Over 48 top windsurfers and kiteboarders from over 16 states representing 14 clubs including sailing clubs from the Indian Army and the Indian Navy will participate in the 4-day event.
It is a ‘ranking event’ sanctioned by the Yachting Association of India, the federation for the sport of yachting in India, administered by the Indian Navy under its President, who is the Chief of the Naval Staff. The championship will be held at Surf Turf Beach in Kovalam, ECR and will be inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on May 11. The site is very popular for being a major surfing center and famous for its annual International Surfing Festival, a CSA release said today.
Arun Vasu, (a pioneer in water sports and founder of Surf Turf in Chennai) and Arun Miranda, (Vice President of CSA and Chairman of the event) said in a joint statement, “This event is one of the ranking events, for athletes It is important that they compete fiercely as their performance determines whether they will represent India in the Asian Games 2023 and other international events.”
Windsurfing and kiteboarding are visually appealing sports with their colorful sails and kites and the thrill of watching them glide across the water at high speed is great for the public and water sports enthusiasts. CSA is keen to promote and popularize the sport along the more than 1,000 kilometer long Tamil Nadu coast.
