Inauguration – Indian Open of Surfing 2016
Managaluru gets ready to host the inaugural edition of the
‘All Cargo Indian Open of Surfing’
- Port city to host Karnatka’s first ever surfing event
- Competition to be held at Sasihithlu beach from 7:30 AM onwards, May 27 – 29
- Over INR 6 Lakhs to be disbursed as prize money
May 24, 2016: Mangalore, better known as the ‘banking city of India’, is soon catching up
for a different reason. The port city, home to one of India’s oldest surf clubs, ‘Mantra Surf
Club of India’, is all set to host the first ever ‘All Cargo Indian Open of Surfing’ at the
Sasihithlu beach from May 27-29, 2016. The competition which is a part of the ‘Karnataka
Surfing Festival’ is recognised by the International Surfing Association and Surfing
Federation of India and is supported by Karnataka Tourism. The inaugural edition of the ‘All
Cargo Indian Open of Surfing’ is being organised by the ‘Mantra Surf Club’ in association
with the Kanara Surfing & Water Sports Promotion Council. Over 100 surfers from India and
abroad will make way to the white sand Sasihithlu beach over the weekend of May 27-29,
2016 to fight for the top spot. The competition will have a total of INR Six Lakhs to be
disbursed as prize money across categories to the winners and runners up.
The ‘All Cargo Indian Open of Surfing’ 2016 will see over 100 surfers from Goa, Tamilnadu,
Karnataka, Mumbai, Lakshwadeep along with international surfers from Australia, United
States of America and France. The competition will see both men and women vie for the top
spot under seven different categories viz; Under 16, Juniors (17-22 years), Seniors (23 – 28
Years), Masters (29 and above), Open Category, Stand Up Paddeling Race ( Men & Women)
and Body Boarding ( Men & Women). The competition will also have participation from
India’s first female surfer Ishita Malviya along with top seeded indian women surfer
Sinchana Gowda and Anisha Naik. They will be joined by Dharini Selvakumar, Dhruv and
Appu Manikandan aongst the men. The open championship will see internationally
renowned participants like Bazile Pinel, Dylan Imhoff and Dustin Ellison.
“It has been our constant endeavour to promote Mangaluru and Karnataka’s coastal line as
an international surfing destination. It’s a great moment for all of us to have finally been
able to host the inaugural edition of the ‘All Cargo Indian Open of Surfing’. We would like to
thank Karnataka Tourism, Govt. of Karnataka for their support to host the event and create
such a novel property. Through this event we plan to promote local talent and in future help
generate employment opportunities for the youth. We are hopeful that this event will be the
beginning to many other international and national surfing events in the state and
Karnataka will soon find a place in the international surfing map,” said Mr. Kishore Kumar,
President, Surfing Federation of India while inspecting the arrangements a day prior to the
start of the event.
The Inaugural Edition of the ‘All Cargo Indian Open of Surfing’ is open to public and is an
effort by Karnataka Tourism to promote the state as an international surfing & water sports
destination. The Competition will start on all three days from 7:30 AM also has an
arrangement for various entertainment programmes and a food festival alongside to keep
the viewers and tourists engaged and entertained. Local artists, musicians and rock bands
(Roots, Boyzone) from the state will be seen enthusing the audience and surfers with some
great performances.