India’s surfing journey is set to enter a new chapter at the Asian Games 2026, with French-born coach Samai Reboul steering the country’s first-ever qualified surfing team towards the continental stage in Aichi-Nagoya.
The four-member Indian squad is currently training in Mahabalipuram ahead of the shortboard competition, which begins on September 25 at Pacific Long Beach. Kishore Kumar and Sivaraj Babu will compete in the men’s category, while Kamali Moorty of Tamil Nadu and Goa’s Sugar Shanti Banarse will represent India in the women’s event. Surfing is making its Asian Games debut, with quota places for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics also on offer.
Reboul, appointed head coach by the Indian Surfing Federation in 2024, has already scripted history by guiding India to a bronze medal at the Asian Surfing Championships in the Maldives. He is assisted by former India surfer and ISA World Surfing Games representative Sanjay Selvamani.
Although he holds a French passport, Reboul says India has always been home.
“My father is French and mother is Basque. They first heard about Sri Aurobindo and Auroville through friends while living in remote northern Spain. They were immediately intrigued. My father first came on his own to see what it was all about and within a short time of coming back we had our bags packed and were moving to India.”
Growing up in Auroville, the ocean shaped his life and eventually his career as a surf instructor and coach.
Reflecting on surfing’s inclusion in the Asian Games, Reboul believes it is a landmark moment for the sport in India.
“When a sport enters an event like the Asian Games, it gets a completely different level of recognition. For the athletes, it means they can represent a developing surfing nation on one of the biggest sporting stages in Asia. For young people watching in India, it also showcases surfing as a serious sporting pathway.”
India’s coastline has helped the sport grow steadily since the Indian Surfing Federation was formed in 2011, with national competitions now spread across Mahabalipuram, Mangaluru, Kovalam, Puducherry, Kerala and the Andaman Islands.
Reboul says sustained investment and patience are now the biggest priorities.
“What we need now is time and investment. Surfing cultures take time to develop. India is building that now. We are seeing better competitions, better coaching, more young surfers coming through and more athletes getting international experience.”
Looking beyond Aichi-Nagoya, Reboul sees the Asian Games as the foundation for India’s Olympic ambitions.
“The Olympics is definitely part of the long-term vision… If we do that properly, Olympic qualification, the ultimate goal, becomes a consequence of a strong system rather than a one-off objective.”