'India is an amazing place for surfing': Conor Maguire praises conditions
'India is an amazing place for surfing': Conor Maguire praises Indian surfers
India is all set to make its debut in a new and unique sport as athletes will compete in surfing at the Asian Games 2026. The Games, which will be held in Japan, will be an opportunity for Indian surfers to showcase their talent. While the focus is on the 2026 Asian Games, the surfers in India got much-needed attention in Chennai’s Kovalam, a small town in India’s South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In an event hosted in sponsorship with Red Bull, popular Irish surfer Conor Maguire helped train 17 surfers while he was in the town for a surfing festival.
Conor in awe of the Indian coastline
“India has one of the longest coastlines and has an archipelago on both coasts, so the potential for waves here is awesome. I've noticed surfing hotspots on both coasts, clearly, India is an amazing place to come and surf. Travelling surfers bring a lot to the table. Those from Australia and Hawaii, they do really well,” Conor said while speaking to WION.
Red Bull has put in efforts towards strengthening the surfing ecosystem in India and mentoring young Indian surfers. He also reckoned the current facilities and hunger for success have got them going and helped them qualify for the Asian Games.
“Our end goal is to select an Indian surfer that Red Bull can support and sponsor. There's one girl who started as young as 3, her younger brother started as young as 7 months," Conor said about the Indian surfers he's been training at Kovalam.
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The waves in Chennai are perfect for training as they are small and consistent. According to Conor, surfing is all about practice and repetition, contests usually take place in wave conditions like these.
While India prepares for the 2026 Asian Games, for now, the focus stays on the next crop of surfers as the long-term target remains the Olympic Games.
