India Padel Festival from 08 March, local professionals will also participate along with the world’s top athletes. Loktej Sports News

Mangalore, 21 February (HS). The Association of Paddlesurf Professionals World Tour (APP) on Wednesday announced the organization of ‘India Paddle Festival’, India’s first international stand-up paddling (SUP) championship. India Paddle Festival will be held from March 08 to 10, 2024 at the picturesque Sasihithalu Beach, Mangalore, Karnataka. India’s first international SUP event will be held ahead of the launch of the 2024 APP World Tour.

As the sport sees significant growth in the region in the coming years, the India Padel Festival will be the first step in an exciting new growth journey for the organisation. Presented by Karnataka Tourism and organized by Surfing Swami Foundation, the India Paddle Festival will feature top athletes from the APP World Tour as well as other aspiring professionals from the region.

Announcing the Championships in India, Tristan Boxford, CEO, APP World Tour, said, “We are extremely pleased to make our first entry into India with the Surfing Swami Foundation and Karnataka Tourism. We hope that the India Padel Festival will provide the necessary impetus for the expansion of the sport in the region. “This championship will also provide athletes with an opportunity to experience international competition.”

Dhananjay Shetty, Director, Surfing Swami Foundation said, “This is a huge step forward for the surfing and SUP community in India as we are going to see the first ever international SUP event in Mangaluru on the west coast of the country. This event will definitely help our paddlers to gain valuable experience from the experienced athletes of APP World Tour which will ultimately contribute to their learning process. The championship will boost our efforts to expand the sport and highlight tourism in the region. With the support of Karnataka Tourism, we look forward to a very successful and exciting event.”

Indian Rank 1, Shekhar Pachai said, “We are always looking forward to having an international event of this caliber in India. This is a chance for stand-up paddlers like me to learn from top international athletes and improve their skills and techniques. We are looking forward to the India Paddle Festival and hope that the Indian paddlers perform well and give a tough challenge to the international athletes. I am excited for this event, I have been training hard and getting ready for it.

17-year-old 4×SUP Japanese World Champion Shuri Araki, who is also the youngest in history to win a world title at the age of 16, said, “I am very excited to go to India for the first time and participate in India Paddle . I am looking forward to paddling with the local paddlers.”