World’s best stand-up paddlers converge in Mangaluru for India’s first-ever int’l event

MANGALURU: The world’s best stand-up paddlers, including World No. 2 Spanish duo of Fernando Perez (Men’s) and Esperanza Barreras (Women’s) along with Bianca Toncelli, reigning SUP Junior Champion, and reigning national champion Sekar Patchai, are all set are set to showcase a thrilling competition at the country’s first-ever International Stand-Up Paddling event, India Paddle Festival.

The three-day stand-up paddling extravaganza is sanctioned by The Association of PaddleSurf Professionals World Tour (APP) — the official professional World Championship Tour for the sport of Stand-Up Paddling. The India Paddle Festival will be hosted at the pristine Sasihithulu beach in Mangalury from March 8-10 while India’s first international stand-up paddling competition is being organised by the Surfing Swami Foundation and is presented by Karnataka government.

Get ready for the India Paddle Festival, set to kick off with top talents showcasing their skills. Tune in to hear the renowned actor, @SunielVShetty, express his enthusiasm for the event. Join us in #Mangaluru for the International Sup Championship taking place from Mar 8 to 10. pic.twitter.com/E7YtE1BfyT

— Mangaluru Airport (@mlrairport) March 7, 2024

Bollywood celebrity Suniel Shetty has come on board as the ambassador for the India Paddle Festival. The event has also received strong support from the country’s top athletes like Indian cricketer K L Rahul and reigning World No.1 men’s doubles shuttler Chirag Shetty.

The inaugural India Paddle Festival will see a total of 45 stand-up paddlers from across the world competing in four categories – Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Junior U-16 Boys, and Girls.

The India Paddle Festival will be a mix of sports, culture and entertainment, the details which were announced at a press conference held in the city today, which was attended by Tristan Boxford, CEO, APP World Tour, Dhananjaya Shetty, chairman, and Surfing Swami Foundation.

Ambassador of the event, Bollywood superstar Suniel Shetty said, “Big shout to Team Mantra (Mantra Surf Club), all the officials, and goodwill ambassador K L Rahul, and for bringing the fastest growing water sport to our shores. This is a great step, looking forward to many such events in Namma Mangaluru, the very best spot in the country for surfing and other water sports. Best wishes to all the athletes, participants, and organizers for making this event a great success”.

Goodwill ambassador of the event, Indian cricketer K L Rahul, said, “The first ever international stand-up paddle championship is happening in one of my favourite cities in India, Mangaluru. Firstly, a big congratulations to the organisers and Mantra Surf Club, who have made this event possible. I have been following their work for some time now, and I feel proud that your hard work has maintained Mangaluru’s reputation. Wishing all the participants, very best for the championships”.

Goodwill ambassador of the event, Indian shuttler who also is a reigning World No.1 men’s doubles, Chirag Shetty, said, “Congratulations and best wishes to Mangaluru and Mantra Team for hosting the first ever International Stand-up Paddle Championship on the Indian shores. This is going to be a great step towards promoting the fastest-growing water sport. My best wishes to all athletes, participants and organisers”.

Speaking on the event, Tristan Boxford, CEO, APP World Tour, said, “It’s amazing to be here at the India Paddle Festival in Mangaluru, India’s first ever international stand-up paddling event. We already have established ourselves across Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East, and now we are looking at India as the next big growth market for the sport. We have been discussing with Surfing Swami and Mantra Surf School for many years now about the opportunity to bring something here and finally, we are embarking on this adventure together”.

He further added, “Sasihisthilu is such a beautiful beach and a venue for stand-up paddling. And I hope to witness some intense competition over the weekend. We’ve got athletes from Denmark, Hungary, Spain, Korea and Indonesia, all over the world to Thailand. We also have some top-class athletes like Christian Anderson (Denmark) and World No. 2, Fernando Perez from Spain while on the women’s side, World No. 2 Esperanza Barreras is one of the fastest women in the world”.

Day 1 will commence with a Yoga session, followed by a community/pro SUP paddle session. The main event on the same day will be the Juniors Race, scheduled for the evening. The crowd will be entertained with the screening of ‘It Is This’, ‘In Search of the Storm’ and ‘Powerstar’, which is part of the film festival that will be conducted on all three days of the event. The heats and finals of the technical races for both men and women will be held on Day 2. The main attraction of the India Paddle Festival, the sprint races, will be held on the final day along with the finals of the community race.

The Association of PaddleSurf Professionals World Tour (APP) announced its entry in India with the country’s first-ever International Stand-Up Paddling championship last month. The India Paddle Festival will be the first step in an exciting new development journey for the organization as a significant growth of the sport in the region over the coming years.

Presented by Karnataka Tourism, and organized by the Surfing Swami Foundation, the India Paddle Festival will welcome a selection of top athletes from the APP World Tour, as well as other aspiring professionals from the region. (ANI)