Surfers Ishita, Dharini among big names for second edition of Indian open

Star Indian surfers including Ishita Malviya and Dharini Selvakumar will be seen riding the waves for the top slot in their respective categories during the second edition of the Indian Open of Surfing, which gets underway at Sasihithlu beach here from May 26 to 28.

Besides Malviya and Selvakumar, the other big Indian names in the premier competition include Sinchana Gowda, Aneesha Nayak, Manikandan and Sekar Pitchai along with Tanvi Jagadish. The Indian surfers are expected to face stiff competition in their respective categories from their Australian, US and French counterparts in the three-day event.

The Surfing Federation of India on Tuesday also announced its association with leading logistics management company TT Group, which has been associated with the sport from 2013 at a local level.

Speaking on the occasion Surfing Federation of India vice president Ram Mohan Paranjpe said: "I am really happy that TT Group has agreed to come on board and help us make the second edition of Indian Open of Surfing a great success."

"They know what it means to nurture surfing talent in India and they have been helping the sport grow over the past few years. Their association will only help us deliver a better event to the fans and the competitors."

Arun Vasu, Managing Director, TT Group said: "We have been closely following the developments with the Indian Open of Surfing since its inception in 2016. I believe that the Surfing Federation of India is working really hard in making surfing a sought after sports in the country. We are happy that we will get the opportunity to help the federation in promoting the sports to a larger segment of audience."

The competition will see both men and women vie for the top spot under the following nine categories: Novice-Indians Under-14 (never surfed in a surfing competition before or surfed for 12 months or less), Indian Groms- under-16, Indian Juniors (17 to 22), Indian Seniors (22 to 30), Indian Masters (above 30), women of all age, Open category -- Indians and Foreigners and Stand Up Paddling for both men and women.

--IANS

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