India secure historic first-ever Asian Games quota in surfing

India secured their first-ever quota in surfing for the Asian Games with the men’s and women’s teams each clinching a spot at the Asian Surfing Championships 2024 in Maldives on Saturday.

Both the Indian surfing teams will compete at the Asian Games 2026, set to be hosted in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan.

The quotas were awarded based on the ranking points earned by surfers at the ongoing Asian Surfing Championships, which is also a qualifying event for the Asian Games. Eight Indian surfers competed in Maldives across four categories.

"It’s truly heartening to witness this historic day when Indian surfing has secured quotas for the upcoming Asian Games,” said Surfing Federation of India President Arun Vasu. “This achievement is a testament to the hard work and determination of our surfers, coaches, and the federation over the years.

“I am confident that we will also see our surfers competing in the Olympics in the future,” he added.

Earlier, Kishore Kumar, competing in the U-18 Boys category, made it to the semi-finals but failed to advance beyond. However, his performances - finishing first in Round 1, Round 3 and the quarter-finals - helped India secure the quota for the Asian Games.

Kishore, who has won multiple national championship titles, finished third in Heat 2 of the semi-final with a score of 8.26, just behind Chengzheng Wang of the People’s Republic of China, who scored 10.00 to place second. Taro Takai of Japan took first place in the same heat with a score of 14.50.

Harish Muthu also left a major mark at the Asian Surfing Championships. He became the first Indian to qualify for the quarter-finals before falling short in a hard-fought contest.

Kamali Moorthy and Sugar Banarse competed in the women’s category, however, both were knocked out in the opening round.