Canoeing and kayaking in India

Canoeing and kayaking in India
Country	India
Governing body	Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association
National team(s)	India

Canoeing and kayaking in India has become a popular sport. The Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association (IKCA) is the governing body of the sport in India.^[1]

Flat water and sea kayaking

Flat-water kayaking takes place in rivers,^[2][3] lakes^[4] and the ocean. Aside from professional flat water kayaking, there is very limited recreational kayaking. Historically, Indian tourists considered kayaking a one-time activity and not a competitive sport.

Long distance flat water kayaking can be done in Mulki, India. Participants from Bangalore, Mangalore, Udupi etc. come to participate in 30 km kayaking and camping adventure.

Whitewater kayaking

Whitewater kayaking is a niche sport with some hardcore following. While the Himalayan rivers are teeming with largely commercial kayakers and some weekend adventurers, in south it is largely the weekend kayakers who have been driving the sport. Bangalore, Karnataka has seen the largest spike in weekend paddlers. However, paddling in India, in general is plagued by limited availability of gear locally, police and bureaucratic interference (who view kayakers with suspicion, since it is an alien activity), and commercial rafters who feel threatened by the presence of the kayakers on the rivers where they have permits to commercially raft.

Sea Kayaking

Sea kayaking is new to India. Considering the vast coastline of India, extremely fewer people do sea kayaking. Kaustubh Khare hold the long-distance record of kayaking west cost of India on a kayak. Few other individuals have also kayaked the coastline of Kerala, Mumbai to Goa, Karnataka and Gujarat.

There are two school who teach professional sea kayaking in India.

1. KayakBoy located in Mulki, Karnataka(Coastal Kayak training Level 1 - Level 4)
2. Quest Adventure Sports Academy(Sea kayak Level 1 - Level III)

Competitive canoeing and kayaking

Meghalaya hosted the Indian kayaking and canoeing selection trials for the 2024 Canoe Slalom World Cup.^[5] The National Canoe Slalom and Kayak Cross Championship was held in Karnataka in 2024.^[6] India's Arjun Singh and Sunil Singh Salam won bronze for India in the Men's Double 1000m Canoeing at the 2023 Asian Games.^[7]

References

1. "About – IKCA". Retrieved 2024-02-18.
2. Kohli, S. (2002). Mountains of India: Tourism, Adventure and Pilgrimage. Indus Publishing Company. p. 278. ISBN 978-81-7387-135-1. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
3. Kohli, S. (2002). Mountains of India: Tourism, Adventure and Pilgrimage. Indus Publishing Company. p. 284. ISBN 978-81-7387-135-1. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
4. Singh, S. (2010). Lonely Planet India. Country Guide Series. Lonely Planet Publications. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-74220-347-8. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
5. Network, Hub (20 May 2024). "Meghalaya hosts Indian Kayaking Canoeing selection trials for Canoe Slalom World Cup, 2024, winners to represent India in World Cup". Hub News. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
6. Desk, The Bridge (19 June 2024). "National Canoe Slalom and Kayak Cross Championship debuts in Karnataka". thebridge.in. Retrieved 31 July 2024. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
7. "Asian Games 2023, Canoe: India's Arjun Singh and Sunil Singh Salam win bronze medal in Men's Double 1000m". India Today. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2024.

Further reading

• The Outdoor Journal. "India's holy river Ganga hosts international kayak competition". The Outdoor Journal. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
• Jacopo Nordera. "Whitewater Kayaking for beginners". The Outdoor Journal. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
• "Hyderabad's first kayaking workshop is a hit". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
• "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Dehradun Plus". tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
• PTI. "Kayaking and canoeing: Indians impress". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
• Press Trust of India (29 September 2014). "India disappoint in canoeing and kayaking final". business-standard.com. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
• "Students can go kayaking on IIM-C lakes". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
• "SAI to set up Canoeing and Kayaking facilities in Manipur". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 February 2015.