Mangalore, May 31 (IANS): Sasihithlu beach in the port city of Mangalore is all set to host 70 surfers from across India for the fourth edition of the Indian Open of Surfing.

The premier surfing competition is held under the aegis of Surfing Federation of India and is being hosted by the Mantra Surf Club. The competition this year will be tough as the top seven out of the 10 best surfers in India will be seen in action in the three-day surfing championship.

Some of the top names to be in action include the likes of Sathish Sarvanan, Ruban V, Srikanth D, Surya P, Sanjaikumar S, Manikandan Desappan and Nithishvarun T. The Indian open of Surfing marks the beginning of the Indian surfing season and Karnataka Tourism have confirmed their support for the fourth season in a row. This edition will also see some large corporate houses like Cycle Pure Agarbathies and Jai Hind Group come on board as principal partners for the first time.

Shrishti Selvam, Sinchana D Gowda (Mangalore Surf Club) and Sugar Shanti Banarse are some top women surfers who will be seen battling it out for the top honours and are expected to give a tough fight to their opponents. This edition will also include Kishore Kumar (Male Groms category) who has already made waves with his extraordinary capabilities in the ocean.

The three-day surfing extravaganza will see over top 70 surfers from the country participating in the four categories viz; Male Open, Male Groms (U-16), Female Open and Female Groms (U-16). The Indian Open of Surfing is also recognized by the International Surfing Federation - the global governing body for the sport.

"We are all set for the fourth edition of the Indian Open of Surfing and I can assure you the top level of competition and entertainment will come up from this event. Indian Open of Surfing not just produces stars from the sport but also provides a suitable platform to the surfers to polish their skills and talent for the other national and international competitions.

"The inception of Surfing as a sport in the Tokyo Olympics has paved the way for Indian surfers to get recognition globally and we expect our stars to use the Indian Open of Surfing as a platform to shine at international events. I would also like to thank Karnataka Tourism, Cycle Pure Agarbathies, Jai Hind Group for coming forward and putting their faith and money which will certainly boost the morale of each and every individual associated with this competition," said, Ram Mohan Paranjpe, VP, Surfing Federation of India & Partner, Mantra Surf Club.