Surfing Federation of India, the governing body for the sport of surfing and stand-up paddling (SUP) on Monday announced the Palkbay National Stand-up Paddling Championships 2022. The two-day event will be held here at Palkbay on April 28 and April 29. The event which will be a part of the week-long Rameswaram SUP-Week will be held under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India.
The seven-day-long Rameswaram SUP Week aims to promote and grow the sport of Stand-Up Paddling. The Palkbay National SUP Championships have already seen interest from top national athletes across the country, given that the Surfing Federation of India has been able to organise national championships after a long forced break due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Top Stand-up Paddlers of India and reigning National Champions Sekar Patchai and Tanvi Jagadish will be seen in action to defend their title along with other participants from both men & women and Groms (U16). Both Sekar and Tanvi have represented India and won several medals for India at International Championships.
"StandUP paddle is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. There is a lot of talent amongst the youth in coastal India. Besides the competitive side StandUp paddle plays an important part in promoting sports tourism. We sincerely thank Tamil Nadu tourism for their support and promoting sports tourism in a positive way and hope to see some great performances at the Palkbay National SUP Championships 2022," said Jehan Driver, General Secretary, Surfing Federation of India.
The National Championship will be played across three categories viz; Sprint (200m), Technical (2 km) & Distance (12 km). There will also be an open category race for non-ranking athletes to test their paddle strength and speed in the Sprints class of racing. There will also be a strong show of strength in Groms (U16) from regional fishing hamlets that have been training under the outreach of the Ocean Ambassadors Foundation in Rameswaram.
( With inputs from ANI )
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