Dragon racing

Held just off Girgaum Chowpatty, the Ocean Championship aims to boost water sports

The country’s first Ocean Championship for Dragon Boating and Surfski Kayaking began in Mumbai on January 27 and ends today. Organised by Rae Sports, a Mumbai-based adventure sports company, at Girgaum Chowpatty, the event sees participants being trained by Oscar Chalupsky, the renowned South African sprint canoer, 11-time world ocean racing champion, surfski and kayak coach.

Dragon boat teams from various states, and services like the Army and Navy Police will be taking part. Dragon boats are 10+2 or 20+2-seater paddle-powered boats with a dragon head in the front and a tail behind. A boat team comprises a drummer and steerer and the participants, who paddle to the beat of the drummer, who sits at front of the boat. A Surf ski is the fastest boat over long distances on the ocean swells. Typically, a Surfski kayak is 16.5-21 ft long and 16-20 inches wide, weighing about 15 kg.

According to Rajiv Bhatia, founder of Rae Sport, “The Ocean Championship is a platform to showcase unusual water sports activities like dragonboating and surf ski as these sports do not exist in India.” The boats at the race have been approved by the International Dragon Boat Federation and, according to Bhatia, this is a great opportunity to demystify water sports for Mumbaikars, who think these activities can only be enjoyed outside the city. Since this is an eco-friendly sport, the authorities were very quick in giving the necessary permissions for the event, he says.

The Ocean Championship is intended to create excitement, and Bhatia wants to make this event a part of the international calendar of water sports events.

 

Oscar Chalupsky answers questions on the potential of water sports for India, if it can get the right sponsors. The benefits, he says, include cleaner beaches

What was your experience of working with the Indian participants like?
It was wonderful to work with the Indian participants. Patience and enthusiasm can carry one a long way, especially in this sport. There was a lot of willingness to be trained and a lot of them showed great potential. Though some of them had been coached in the past, they did not have the right coach to guide them.

Is this a viable sport here? Do you think the sea is clean enough?
India is surrounded by the ocean and this is a good opportunity to utilise the free ocean. Mumbai in particular is a very good place for this sport, with the monsoons and waves making it even more interesting. The weather is rough at times, no doubt, but knowing how to handle rough conditions is one of the prerequisites of the sport. It is a very fast-growing sport and Indians will adapt quickly to it. Even in Dubai and Mauritius, it began with only 12 races, but now the number has reached 200. The beaches in Mumbai may not be as clean as a Seychelles or a Goa, but the sport offers an opportunity to clean up the beaches. Apart from the sport, a clean beach would attract more fish and in turn more tourists.

You have travelled the world coaching ocean-sports lovers. How different is the scene in India?
Ocean sports is completely new in India. In other areas, what I have noticed that it is first the expats who take it up. It is only after this that the locals take it up as an activity. But in India, surprisingly, the locals have started taking it up. In comparison, the other Asian nations have more expats taking it up than locals.

Is it a sport only for the affluent?
Definitely not. The only expensive part about this sport is the equipment required for it. If the talent is spotted by the clubs, they would definitely invest in them. That is the way it is done and that is the way to grow the sport.

What are some of the problem areas for Indian talent in this sport?
Indians lack a proper coach and need proper guidance to handle rough conditions out on the sea. If one has the proper equipment, coach and an appropriate venue, there will be no difficulty.

Do you see this becoming a full-fledged sport here?
If you have the right sponsors and the correct prize money, the sport will be taken more seriously.

What is the scope for this sport in India in the future?
I would want more than a million participants in this sport in India in the next five years. I feel that if such events can be integrated with international championships, it would be even more successful. The ocean is unlimited, hence there is no limit on the number of individuals who can take part in such events. If India can have a mechanism for grading of the ocean through which we can have crystal-clear beaches, there would a great potential for the sport in India. When you have an unlimited water resource, why let it go waste?