Rameswaram (TN), Sep 26 : Over 120 participants have registered for the upcoming Palkbay SUP Challenge, the National Stand-Up Paddle Boarding Championship, which is scheduled to be held at the picturesque Pirappanvalasi Beach in Palk Bay, Rameswaram on September 28 and 29.

This is the highest-ever participation in the history of the National SUP Championship so far.

The two-day national championship will see over 120 athletes from nine states competing in Sprint (200 metres), Technical (4 kilometres) and Distance (12 kilometres) categories, across five divisions -- Men, Women, Groms (U-16), Defence and Open.

The event is being organised by Quest Academy under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India and is supported by the Tamil Nadu Surfing Association, affiliated with the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT).

Competitive water sports like Surfing and Stand-Up Paddling have been growing exponentially in India and the surfers recently created history by securing two quotas for the 2026 Asian Games in Asian Surfing Championships, held in Maldives.

Sekar Patchai, the reigning champion from Tamil Nadu who won the Technical and Distance titles in the Men's category, and Monica Pugazharasu, who won both the Sprint and Distance titles will return to defend their titles.

The reigning Sprint champion, M. Manikandan will look to challenge Sekar for the other two titles while former national champion Tanvi Jagdish would love to win back her title from Monica.

Other promising stand-up paddlers, Muthu Kutti, Ajith Govind, and Raja Pandian in the Men's category whereas Anandi Aarthi, Yamini Kannan and Vijayalakshmi Irulappan in the Women's category will provide stiff competition along with the new Stand-up paddlers in the circuit. Akash Pujar, Kalidas and Muthukumar will be the ones to look out for in the Groms (U-16) category.

'The sport is changing lives in coastal towns providing a career option for the youngsters from this part of the country,' says Upasna Mody, General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Surfing Association, who resides in the Palkbay and is actively involved in promoting SUP to the youth in coastal regions. 'Accessibility to sport and championship events brings awareness to create champions as well as vocational opportunities', she added.

International Surfing Association SUP coach Jehan Driver, who has spent over a decade training athletes in coastal communities, echoed these sentiments.

"The geography of the Palk Bay is ideal for developing champions. The national and state associations have always been upfront in providing their valuable support to encourage the development programs. The Groms (U16) from our village winning gold & bronze in the 2023 National SUP Championship is a testament to our concept of the training programs.'

Arun Vasu, president, of the Surfing Federation of India highlighted the sport's international potential. "Surfing and Stand-Up Paddleboarding offer India a pathway to medals on the global stage, including the Olympics."

He also celebrated the recent success of India at the Asian Surfing Championship in Maldives. 'We have recently secured two spots for the upcoming Asian Games thanks to the performance of our athletes at the Asian Surfing Championship in Maldives.'

/IANS