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Ahead of Asian Games 2026, India’s surfing coach Samai Reboul says ‘LA Olympics 2028 is the ultimate goal’
Frenchman Samai Reboul is a former surfer and a trained coach hired by the Surfing Federation of India in 2024. Reboul lives in Auroville, Puducherry and says spirituality teaches athletes how to adjust to the power of nature
Frenchman Samai Reboul is at the fountainhead of India’s surfing dreams and is coaching a four-member national squad preparing in Mahabalipuram for the upcoming Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya. The competition will be held at the famous Pacific Long Beach from September 25. The Games will offer quota places for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
India will have two surfers each in the men’s and women’s shortboard competition at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Surfing is one of the six sports making its debut at the continental extravaganza. Kishore Kumar and Sivaraj Babu will represent India in the men’s section while two young surfers, Kamali Moorty from Tamil Nadu and Sugar Shanti Banarse from Goa will compete in the women’s section.
India’s coaching staff is headed by Samai. Sanjay Selvamani will be his deputy. Samai was appointed by the Indian Surfing Federation as head coach in 2024. He guided India to their historic bronze medal at the Asian Surfing Championships and led national selection camps and the squad’s high-performance preparation for the Asian Games.
