India Paddle Festival, said to be India’s first-ever International Stand-Up Paddling event being organised by Surfing Swami Foundation, will commence at the scenic Sasihithlu beach in Mangaluru from Friday, March 8.
Foundation vice-president Rammohan Paranjape told reporters here on Thursday, March 7, that the World’s best Stand-Up paddlers, including Fernando Perez and Esperanza Barreras — current World No. 2 in Men and Women’s categories, along with Bianca Toncelli — reigning SUP Junior Champion and Sekar Patchai, the reigning National champion, are set to electrify the three-day event.
He said as many as 45 stand-up paddlers from across the World will be seen in action in four categories – Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Junior U-16 Boys, and Girls. Presented by Karnataka Government, the event is sanctioned by the Association of PaddleSurf Professionals World Tour (APP), the official professional World Championship Tour for the sport of Stand-Up Paddling. Actor Sunil Shetty is announced as the Brand Ambassador for the event.
The event will be a mix of sports, culture, and entertainment, said Kishore Kumar from the Surfing Federation. Day one commences with a Yoga session, followed by a Community/Pro SUP Paddle session. Juniors’ race in the evening is the main event of the day. The heats and finals of the technical races for both men and women will be held on day two. The main attraction of the India Paddle Festival, the sprint races, will be on the final day, March 10, along with the finals of the community race.
Through this event, the Association of PaddleSurf Professionals World Tour (APP) announced its entry in India. The India Paddle Festival will be the first step in an exciting new development journey for the organisation as a significant growth of the sport in the region over the coming years, Mr. Kumar said.
