The 8th edition of the Covelong Surf, Music and Fitness Festival is all set and will hit the beaches of Covelong here in Kovalam from tomorrow. The three-day multi-event festival will decide the national champions in surfing where more than 80 surfers from the country will compete and various surfers from Sri Lanka and Maldives will compete in the International Open category. The Covelong Classic Surfing Championships will see the top men’s and women’s surfers from around the country compete for the top spots in seven categories of surfing. The surfing categories for the championships are as follows – Novice (U12); Grooms (U16); Juniors (17-22 years); Seniors (23-30 years); Masters (31 years and above); Women (all ages); Open Category (Foreign Citizens).
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The Covelong Classic is one of India’s most popular and premier surfing competitions with a vibrant festival that attracts crowds of fans from all over the world and is increasingly attracting surfers, artists, musicians, fitness buffs, and freebies. It has become a kind of pilgrimage site for Spirits This year, the music lineup includes popular bands like Shanka Tribe, Sapta, Driftwood, RJD, Ta Dhoom Project, Many Roots Ensemble, Saki, MS Krishna, East Coast Movement, and many musicians from across the country. who will perform alternately. A mix of rock, indie pop, laid back acoustic, punk rock and experimental soundscapes.
The thoughtfully curated line-up of fitness workshops range from parkour and animal flow to India’s first pet yoga experience – ‘pauga’, silambam, calisthenics and more. The festival also features a vibrant flea market, food stalls, art installations, and beachside activities – a carnival of culture set in the beautiful Bay of Bengal.
Chennai-based TT Group is the principal presenter of this annual surf, music and fitness movement organized under the auspices of the Surfing Federation of India. Some of the other principal sponsors for this event are – Ministry of Sports of Tamil Nadu, Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, and Java Yazdi Motorcycles.
Surfing Federation of India President Mr. Arun Vasu said, “This is going to be one of SFI’s biggest events this year and we want to build an all-round festival around the national championships. Our aim is to make surfing a reality.” To make it accessible to everyone and such events will lead to greater participation of people.
Sekhar Pichai and Gayatri Juvekar win the Stand Up Paddle (Long Distance) National Championship
In preparation for the Kovilong Surf Festival, the Stand Up Paddle National Championship was held with defending champions Sekar Pichai and Gayatri Jovekar winning the national championships in the men’s and women’s categories respectively. Conditions were beautiful as morning winds and waves were ideal for paddling, to Kovalam Beach, a picturesque point, where surfers prepared for the SUP (Long Distance) Championships. The one-day event under the aegis of Surfing Federation of India was hosted by Surf Turf, a premier surfing school here in Kovalam. They will also be hosting the Covelong Surf, Music, and Fitness Festival which starts tomorrow.
Kovalam-born and Surf Turf School product, Sekar Pichai, the defending champion of the third edition of the Indian Open of Surfing, once again dominated SUP and maintained his position as the best paddler in the country. Sekker managed to beat his previous time in the men’s category by finishing the 12km SUP regatta in 1 hour 22 minutes (82 minutes). The other two Surf Turf products and local boys, Manikandan M and Santhusan S completed the regatta in 1 hour 26 minutes (86 minutes) and 1 hour 30 minutes (90 minutes) respectively.
Speaking on his win, National SUP Champion (Long Distance) in the men’s category, Sekar Pichai said, “Today was a bit tough as I not only had to fight against other competitors but also the conditions. Retaining the title It’s a good feeling and will look forward to the next championship.
In the women’s category, Gayatri Jovekar and Vilasini Sundar saw a tight contest with Gayatri crossing the finish line just 90 seconds ahead of Vilasini. The 6 km distance was successfully completed by Gayatri in 1 hour 04 minutes (64 minutes) while Vilasini Sunder completed it in 1 hour 5 minutes (65 minutes). Defending champion, Monica P. finished third in the regatta in 1 hour 09 minutes (69 minutes).
Gayatri Juvekar said after winning the championship in the women’s category, “I am very happy to win the national SUP title. My aim was to enjoy the first race which helped me to give my best. I am happy that I managed to improve my place in the Long Distance SUP from the Palak Bay National Championships where I was placed 2nd.
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