Windsurfing in Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Reviewed profileAchievements, tournaments, coaches and FAQs on this page are compiled by hand from federation, government and press reporting, drawing on Wikipedia — Yachting Association of India, Gomantak Times — YAI National Kite Boarding and Windsurfing Championship coverage, Hindustan Times (via PressReader) — Coelho siblings 2018 Asian Games equipment coverage, Adventurenation.com — Windsurfing in India. These are not cited to individual documents: we hold no per-claim source for them, so treat dates, counts and career records here as a summary rather than a reference. Sections we hold nothing for are left empty. Sport pages last reviewed as a set: September 2026.

Overview

Origin: 1960s USA
Category: Aquatic
Olympic discipline: Yes
Paralympic discipline: No
Central pathway: Olympic (TOPS eligible)
Athlete profiles on SportSupport: 1

Governance and status

Each field below is shown only where we hold a source for it; anything else reads “Not currently verified” rather than a guess. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition is granted year by year, so it is only ever shown with the year it applies to. Last reviewed: September 2026.

Indian governing/organising body: YAI
Ministry recognition: Yachting Association of India — Annual recognition renewed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — as at 2026Source: Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — List of recognised National Sports Federations
International federation: Not currently verified
Khelo India inclusion: Not currently verified
TOPS eligibility: In scope — TOPS covers Olympic medal prospects
Olympic status: On the Olympic programme
Paralympic status: Not a Paralympic discipline

Windsurfing is listed on SportSupport in the aquatic category. Its recorded origin is 1960s USA. It is on the Olympic programme. We list YAI as the Indian governing/organising body for the sport.

Windsurfing is on the pathway that runs through India's national sports federations to the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), with selection running through YAI against its published benchmarks. Being on this pathway is not itself a statement that the discipline is currently in TOPS — TOPS covers a Core Group and a Development Group chosen by the Mission Olympic Cell.

Scholarships & Funding

Central, state and private scholarships available for windsurfing athletes in India.

Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID)
Monthly stipend (₹10,000 for selected Khelo India athletes), boarding, coaching and kit at accredited centres for talent identified through the Khelo India selection process (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports). Applies only to disciplines on the official Khelo India Games list, and only to athletes it selects.
Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)
Central government scheme covering training, foreign exposure, equipment and an out-of-pocket allowance (up to ₹50,000/month) for athletes inducted by the Mission Olympic Cell. TOPS covers a Core Group and a Development Group of disciplines rather than every Olympic sport, and induction is decided athlete by athlete; we hold no current list confirming whether windsurfing is among the covered disciplines.
National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports fund used to sponsor elite athletes' training, foreign coaches and equipment. Allocations are made case by case; we hold no record of NSDF support specific to windsurfing.
Pension for Meritorious Sportspersons
Lifetime monthly pension (₹20,000 for Olympic/World/Asian/CWG medallists; scaled by tier) for retired internationals who meet the scheme's medal criteria — Government of India.

Explore all government schemes →

Indian Players

1 profiles

Katya Ida CoelhoIndia

Browse the full athlete directory →

Rules

Windsurfing is sailboard racing in which the sailor stands on a board and steers a free-rotating rig attached by a universal joint, with no rudder — direction is controlled entirely by raking the sail and shifting body weight. Olympic and international racing is now contested in the IQ Foil class, where a hydrofoil lifts the board clear of the water at speed, alongside slalom, course-racing, freestyle and wave formats. Fleet races are started on a line between a committee boat and a mark, sailed around a set course, and scored on a low-points system across a series with a discard allowed. Right-of-way follows the Racing Rules of Sailing: a board on starboard tack has priority, a windward board keeps clear of a leeward board, and touching a mark requires a penalty turn. Starting early, pumping outside permitted limits or failing to sail the course results in scoring penalties or disqualification.

Authoritative rulebook: YAI. Age-group and school-level variations are published by SGFI and the state associations each season.

Positions

Typical roles across aquatic sports. These are category-level descriptions, not a sourced windsurfing squad list.

Swimming
Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and medley events at set distances.
Diving
Springboard and platform events scored by a judges' panel.
Water polo
Seven-a-side team match played in a pool.
Artistic swimming
Judged routines set to music, solo, duet or team.
Open water
Long-distance racing in a marked open-water course.

Equipment

Standard kit and infrastructure required to train and compete in windsurfing at a federation-recognised event.

Board — IQ Foil, Techno 293, slalom or wave board depending on class
Rig: mast, boom, sail and extension, joined to the board by a universal joint
Hydrofoil set (fuselage, front and rear wings) for IQ Foil racing
Daggerboard or fin, plus footstraps and harness lines
Wetsuit or shorty, buoyancy aid, helmet and booties
Rescue and support boat, race marks and timing equipment for organized events

Governing/organising body

Body listed on SportSupport

Yachting Association of India

Yachting Association of India is the body we list as the Indian governing/organising body for Windsurfing. Its recognition status as we hold it: Annual recognition renewed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (as at 2026). Recognition is granted year by year, so read the federation profile for the source.

Origin: 1960s USA
Olympic: Yes
Paralympic: No
Category: Aquatic

YAI profile →All federations →

Major Indian Events

Domestic competitions we hold a source for in windsurfing.

YAI National Kite Boarding and Windsurfing Championship
Organized by the Yachting Association of India (YAI) jointly with the Premier Kite Boarding Association and Board Sailing Association of India. A recent edition held in Morjim, Goa drew 47 participants from 5 Indian states and 4 countries (Germany, Russia, France, Italy). Sachin Ganesh won gold in IQ Foil — the current Olympic windsurfing class — and the youngest competitor in the field also took gold.

International Events

Continental and world-level competitions we hold a source for in windsurfing.

Asian Games
Indian windsurfers have competed, though not without real difficulty: at the 2018 Jakarta Games, siblings Dayne and Katya Coelho (children of three-time national champion Donald Coelho) had to compete on old, worn equipment after the Goa Yachting Association failed to deliver windsurfing boards despite a procurement request pending for over four months — their father personally purchased and rented replacement boards in Singapore for $700.

Leagues

No dedicated professional league is currently catalogued for windsurfing. The national championship under YAI remains the top domestic competition.

All leagues →

International Players

Globally recognised windsurfing athletes to know outside India.

The international federation for windsurfing maintains the current world ranking — check the federation site for the up-to-date top names.

Career Options

Ways to build a career in windsurfing — on the field, on the sidelines and behind the scenes.

Windsurfing in India has historically been concentrated in Navy and Army sailing clubs with limited public access; coastal locations, particularly in Goa, offer the most available recreational and competitive access
Emerging young talent like Sachin Ganesh points to a growing grassroots pipeline through YAI-affiliated state associations
Playing pathway through YAI's national championships and state-level events; equipment procurement and logistics remain a real, documented challenge even at the international representative level

Explore sports careers →Coaches directory →

Related academies

0 listed

No windsurfing academies are catalogued in the directory yet. Browse the full academy list or list your academy to appear here.

All academies →List your academy →

FAQs

Common questions about windsurfing in India.

Who governs Windsurfing in India?▾

We list YAI as the Indian governing/organising body for Windsurfing, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group and state-level competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement that it is currently a recognised national sports federation — recognition is granted year by year.

Is Windsurfing an Olympic sport?▾

Yes, Windsurfing is on the Olympic programme. Athletes selected by YAI against its published criteria can be considered for TOPS funding.

How do I start playing Windsurfing in India?▾

The usual routes are a school team under the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), a college team under the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), or a private academy affiliated to your state association under YAI. Age-group state championships follow from there.

What government schemes support Windsurfing athletes?▾

TOPS supports a Core Group and a Development Group of disciplines selected by the Mission Olympic Cell, rather than every Olympic sport. We hold no current list confirming whether Windsurfing is among them, so we make no TOPS claim for it. State governments give cash awards to medallists at events they notify. Windsurfing does not appear on the official Khelo India Games discipline list, so we make no Khelo India claim for it.

Windsurfing in every state & UT

Dedicated pages for Windsurfing in each Indian state and Union Territory — academies, schemes, athletes and how to start.