The seventh edition of the NMPA Indian Open of Surfing commenced on Friday at the Blue Bay Tannirbhavi Eco Beach in Mangaluru, attracting surfers from across the country for one of India's premier surfing competitions.
Competition Highlights
The event, a key stop in the National Championship Series and an important part of India's Asian Games selection cycle, started under excellent surfing conditions with clean waves and favorable weather. In the Women's Open category, Kamali Moorthy, Sugar Shanthi Banarse, Ishita Malaviya, Devi Ramanathan, Saanvi Hegde, and Shrishti Selvam advanced to the semi-finals, scheduled for the final day.
Opening Day Action
The opening day featured competition across the men's Open, women's Open, under-18 boys, and under-14 boys divisions. The men's Open completed its opening round across 12 heats, while the women's Open progressed through the quarter-finals. Junior categories also saw intense competition, with the under-18 boys contesting opening-round heats and the newly introduced under-14 boys advancing through quarter-finals.
In the men's Open, 45 surfers competed across 12 heats, with the top two from each heat moving to round 2 on Saturday. Standout performers included Kishore Kumar (12.90), Ramesh Budihal (12.57), Tayin Arun (12.10), Sanjaikumar S (11.84), Ajeesh Ali (11.74), Akilan S (11.66), Sivaraj Babu (11.33), Sanjay Selvamani (11.33), Harish M (10.27), Srikanth D (9.33), Ruban V (7.93), and Som Sethi (7.30). In the women's Open quarter-finals, Tamil Nadu's Kamali Moorthy emerged as the highest scorer of the day across all categories with a score of 13.83.
Inauguration and Remarks
The event was inaugurated by former minister Abhayachandra Jain, deputy commissioner Darshan HV, and other dignitaries. Shamanth Kumar, secretary of the Karnataka Surfing Association (KSA), said, "The response from surfers and the local community has been extremely positive. This championship plays a very important role in the national ranking system and India's preparations for future international events, including the Asian Games." Saurabh Verma, manager of athlete relations at the Sports Authority of India, also addressed the gathering.
Organizers and Support
The championship is organized by the Mantra Surf Club and Surfing Swami Foundation under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India (SFI), with support from the Government of Karnataka and the KSA.
