2 hrs ago
Indian Surfing Team Targets Olympic Path Through Asian Games
India’s national surfing team will compete at the Asian Games for the first time.
The competition will take place in Aichi-Nagoya in 2026.
Four Indian surfers will compete in shortboard events.
Two will compete in the men’s event and two in the women’s event.
Coach Samai Reboul wants the team to use the Games as preparation for the 2028 Olympics.
The Asian Games may offer Olympic quota places.
Reboul says India needs better coaching, competitions, and support for young surfers.
He believes a strong development system will give Indian surfers a better chance to qualify.
India’s surfing program has already earned a bronze medal at the Asian Surfing Championships.
India will make its historic surfing debut at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Coach Samai Reboul views the Games as a step toward 2028 Los Angeles Olympics qualification.
Kishore Kumar, Sivaraj Babu, Kamali Moorty, and Sugar Shanti Banarse will compete in shortboard events.
The Asian Games will offer quota places for the 2028 Olympics.
Reboul says sustained investment, coaching, and international experience are needed to build India’s surfing system.
- Who
- India’s national surfing team, coached by Samai Reboul, will compete with four shortboard surfers.
- What
- The team will make its historic Asian Games surfing debut while pursuing a pathway toward 2028 Olympic qualification.
- Where
- The team is preparing in Mahabalipuram for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
- When
- The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are scheduled for 2026, followed by the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
- Why
- The Asian Games offer quota places for the Olympics and an opportunity to develop India’s surfing system.
Key facts
- Asian Games debut
- India’s national surfing team will compete at the Asian Games for the first time in 2026.
- Competition
- The Indian squad will compete in shortboard events.
- Men’s surfers
- Kishore Kumar and Sivaraj Babu.
- Women’s surfers
- Kamali Moorty and Sugar Shanti Banarse.
- Coach
- French coach Samai Reboul has worked with the Indian national team since 2024.
- Olympic pathway
- The Asian Games will offer quota places for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
- Recent achievement
- Reboul guided India to a bronze medal at the Asian Surfing Championships in the Maldives.
Quotes
Samai Reboul
French coach of India’s national surfing team
“After that, we need to build towards the 2028 Olympics and beyond. For me, success would be having Indian surfers who are regularly competing internationally, travelling with the needed support, understanding professional competition and being capable of qualifying for major events.”
rediff.com
“What we need now is time and investment. Surfing cultures take time to develop. India is building that now. We are seeing better competitions, better coaching, more young surfers coming through and more athletes getting international experience.”
rediff.com
Sources
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