India's surfing team is entering a landmark moment at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with national head coach Samai Reboul already plotting a trajectory beyond the continental event toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Surfing makes its debut at the Asian Games this cycle, and India will compete in the shortboard events starting 25 September at Pacific Long Beach.

India's Squad and Competition Format

India has fielded a four-member squad for the Asian Games — two athletes each in the men's and women's shortboard categories. Kishore Kumar and Sivaraj Babu will compete in the men's draw, while Kamali Moorty of Tamil Nadu and Sugar Shanti Banarse of Goa will represent the country in the women's event. Surfing is one of six new sports introduced at this edition of the Games, giving the discipline a significantly elevated platform across Asia.

Olympic Quota on the Line

Beyond continental prestige, the Aichi-Nagoya Games carry direct Olympic implications. The tournament will offer quota opportunities for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, adding a sharper competitive edge to India's campaign. For Reboul, the Games represent the next logical step in a carefully constructed development pathway rather than a standalone target.

'After that, we need to build towards the 2028 Olympics and beyond. For me, success would be having Indian surfers who are regularly competing internationally, travelling with the needed support, understanding professional competition and being capable of qualifying for major events. If we do that properly, Olympic qualification, the ultimate goal, becomes a consequence of a strong system rather than a one-off objective,' Reboul said.

Who Is Samai Reboul

Reboul, 41, is a Frenchman by passport but has lived in Auroville, Puducherry, for more than half his life. Appointed head coach by the Surfing Federation of India in 2024, he brings more than a decade of experience managing Kallialay Surf School and holds both ISA coaching and judging qualifications. His family relocated to Auroville after his parents, living in northern Spain, were drawn to the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo. '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,' he said.

Reboul previously guided India to a historic bronze medal at the Asian Surfing Championships in Thulusdhoo, Maldives — a result he describes as proof of what Indian surfers are capable of achieving on the international stage.

The Philosophy Behind the Programme

Reboul's years in Auroville have informed his coaching outlook in a distinctive way. He draws a direct link between the spiritual discipline of being present and the demands of competitive surfing. 'To surf well, you need to be completely present. You cannot be thinking about yesterday or tomorrow — you are entirely focused on reading the wave and responding to what is happening in that exact moment. Known as a flow state, it allows one to reach a deep state of meditation,' he explained.

He also welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's articulated ambition for India to compete in surfing at the Olympic level, viewing it as critical institutional support for the sport's long-term credibility.

India's Surfing Potential and the Road Ahead

With India possessing more than 7,000 kilometres of coastline, Reboul argues the natural infrastructure for a surfing culture already exists. What is needed, he says, is sustained investment and time. 'We are seeing better competitions, better coaching, more young surfers coming through and more athletes getting international experience. The fact that India qualified for the 2026 Asian Games is itself an important step in that development,' he noted. When a sport enters an event like the Asian Games, it gains an entirely different level of recognition — both for the athletes who represent the country and for the younger generation watching at home who may see surfing as a viable sporting career for the first time. Whether India can convert a historic debut into an Olympic berth in Los Angeles will depend on what is built in the months and years immediately following Aichi-Nagoya.