Surfing for Olympic roster, local talents need govt support

With surfing making a debut in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and being recognised as an Olympic sport, surfers in the city and State were immediately excited about the prospects. Yet, looking at the existing institutional and educational support in the State, surfers agree that a lot has to be done to bring medals home.

“Surfers from other countries have a lot of knowledge on a variety of coastlines. We do not have those facilities. We need to learn how to surf in a variety of surf points because the waves across the world are different. If the government opens up local surfing points — like in the Lakshadweep and Andaman Islands — and allowed surfers to go abroad, surfers would be better equipped for the Olympics,” said Patchai.

Meanwhile, there are currently five surfing schools in Chennai and Kovalam in total. This, according to Murty Megavan, is not enough. As the founder of Covelong Point Surfing School, more schools would mean better specialisation for surfers, said Murthy, adding the current scenario is not enough.

“There can be schools for advanced and intermediate surfers, and even for recreational purposes. This will create better opportunities for specialisation, and in turn, better coaching and knowledge sharing. At the same time, competition between schools will improve the quality of coaching, which will produce better surfers. We need this environment for producing athletes to compete on a global stage,” said Murthy.

But at the end of the day, government support is crucial, said the surfer. This can range from establishing federations for surfers to financial support for training and travel. Financial aid can also greatly incentivise the general public to take up surfing seriously.

“Governments need to provide financial aid for travelling to other countries to train because these trips are costly. Money is also needed to provide proper training and diet and teams for surfers. Working with foreign governments is crucial for this as well,” said Patchai.

With more than 7,500 km of coastline in India and quality talent coming from Tamil Nadu alone, India seems ripe for making a splash in surfing at the Olympic level. The achievements so far have been based on individual effort and skill, but institutional assist will place India as a formidable candidate in the sport, opined surfers.