It was not the usual crowd on Elliots Beach on Saturday evening. Some foreigners were amongst the many youngsters who were leaping behind a flying disc on the sand — Usha Chennai Heat 2015, an international frisbee tournament, was in progress.
The eighth edition of the annual tournament, which started on Friday and will end on Sunday, saw around 16 teams participating. It is being organised by Chennai Ultimate Frisbee Club that was formed in 2007.
“We started the competitions in 2008. Chennai is one of the oldest and largest communities in the country playing frisbee in an organised manner,” says Manu Karan, president of the club.
“One of the teams is from Singapore. There are many foreign players who have been residents of Chennai for the past few years. They have also become one of us — thanks to the game. The youngest player is 13 years old and the oldest, 44,” says Mr. Karan. When the club was started in 2007 there were only eight people. Now there are over 400. “Frisbee has now been recognised as an Olympic sport. Many companies are also coming forward to sponsor the event,” he says.
For the past seven years, matches were held till 9 p.m. under floodlights. “But this year, some activists protested saying that the high-intensity lights disturbed crabs, turtles and other beachside organisms. Since they threatened to take action against us, we stopped the games by 6 p.m.,” says Dinesh Thangam from the fishing hamlet of Urur Kuppam and a member of the Airborne team playing the tournament.
However, such hurdles have not left them dejected. “If you look at it, there is a whole economy built around the tournament — tender coconut vendors and stall and restaurant owners make roaring business during the event. We think more than 20,000 people watched the matches last year,” Mr. Karan explains.
