Chennai, Aug 3: The World Surf League is excited to announce that Qualifying Series and Junior Tour competition will return to India for the Shore Temple Classic QS 2000 and Pro Junior event, to be held from August 12 to August 16, 2026. The region’s best surfers will come up against a strong contingent of India’s top talent in the long right-handers of Mahabalipuram Beach for the first time since India’s inaugural WSL event was held in 2023.
“The WSL is excited to return to India following a successful debut in 2023 and to bring the country’s first Pro Junior alongside the QS in 2026. The response to our first event showed the passion and potential for surfing in India, and we’re looking forward to building on that momentum this year. Mahabalipuram offers a great high-performance wave, and with both QS and Pro Junior competition on the schedule, it’s a fantastic opportunity for local surfers to compete alongside some of the region’s best. We’re grateful to our local partners for their continued commitment to developing the sport in India.”— Ty Sorati, WSL APAC Tour Director
Mahabalipuram Beach returns as the venue for the second edition of the WSL QS in India and the country’s first-ever Pro Junior. Breaking along a lengthy right-hand sandbar beside the Mahabalipuram Shore Temple, the wave offers a mix of open-face sections suited to powerful rail surfing, progressive airs and, on the right swell, the occasional barrel. Having established itself as a proven competition venue through numerous national and international events, Mahabalipuram continues to showcase India’s growing surf scene. The event is once again delivered in partnership with the Tamil Nadu Surfing Association and the Surfing Federation of India , continuing a collaboration that began with the inaugural event in 2023.
“India made history in 2023 by hosting its first-ever World Surf League event, a QS 3000, in a landmark moment for surfing in our country. This year, we are proud to build on that foundation with the QS 2000 and Pro Junior. Hosting these events on home soil is a real advantage for our athletes — they earn valuable ranking points and gain the competitive experience they need to make their mark across the Asia region. But our ambition goes further. Our goal is to grow this into four additional WSL events in India, creating a clear pathway for our surfers toward Challenger Series and Championship Tour contention.
“Beyond the sport itself, these competitions put India’s world-class waves on the global map, drive coastal tourism, and inspire a new generation to take up surfing. We expect to see many more Indian surfers on the circuit in the years ahead. This is only the beginning of India’s journey on the world stage.” — Arun Vasu, President, Surfing Federation of India
The event is supported by the Sports Authority of India and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu ,
“Tamil Nadu is proud to have been the first in India to bring the World Surf League to our shores in 2023, and we are delighted to continue that journey with the Shore Temple Classic 2026. As one of the sponsors for this year’s event, SDAT remains committed to supporting the growth of surfing in Tamil Nadu and providing our athletes with world-class competitive opportunities on home soil. Mahabalipuram has proven itself as a truly world-class surfing destination, and we look forward to another spectacular edition of the WSL in Tamil Nadu.” — Thiru. J. Meghanatha Reddy, Member Secretary Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu.