{"id":65271,"date":"2026-03-06T17:53:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T12:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/2026\/03\/06\/goa-hosts-historic-beach-sprint-rowing-nationals-maharashtra-lifts-padma-bhushan-manohar-parrikar-trophy\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T17:53:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T12:23:59","slug":"goa-hosts-historic-beach-sprint-rowing-nationals-maharashtra-lifts-padma-bhushan-manohar-parrikar-trophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/2026\/03\/06\/goa-hosts-historic-beach-sprint-rowing-nationals-maharashtra-lifts-padma-bhushan-manohar-parrikar-trophy\/","title":{"rendered":"Goa Hosts Historic Beach Sprint Rowing Nationals; Maharashtra Lifts Padma Bhushan Manohar Parrikar Trophy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tapan Acharya with Goa Sports Minister Dr. Ramesh Tawadkar, RFI President Balaji Madarappa, and officials during a rowing event in Goa.<\/em><\/p>\n

Panaji (Goa) [India], March 06:<\/strong> Under the bright blue skies and golden shoreline of\u00a0Vainguinim Beach, Dona Paula<\/strong>, Goa witnessed a historic moment in Indian sports as the\u00a01st Senior Beach Sprint National Rowing Championship 2026<\/strong>\u00a0concluded with thrilling races, powerful performances, and Maharashtra emerging as the overall champions to lift the prestigious\u00a0Padma Bhushan Manohar Parrikar Trophy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The championship marked\u00a0India\u2019s official entry into the Olympic-recognized coastal rowing format<\/strong>, transforming Goa\u2019s scenic coastline into a competitive arena where strength, speed, and sea strategy collided in spectacular fashion.<\/p>\n

What unfolded over the championship days was more than just a sporting event \u2014 it was the\u00a0birth of a new era in Indian rowing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A Historic First for Indian Coastal Rowing<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Held under the aegis of the\u00a0Rowing Federation of India<\/strong>, the championship was hosted by the\u00a0Rowing & Sculling Association of Goa<\/strong>\u00a0in collaboration with the\u00a0Sports Authority of Goa<\/strong>, the\u00a0Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs, Government of Goa<\/strong>, and supported by the\u00a0Sports Authority of India<\/strong>. The event was powered by the\u00a0Goa Tourism Development Corporation<\/strong>, further strengthening Goa\u2019s growing reputation as a destination for sports tourism and marine sports excellence.<\/p>\n

At the center of this historic initiative was\u00a0Tapan Acharya<\/strong>, President of the Rowing & Sculling Association of Goa. Through strategic planning and months of groundwork, Acharya ensured that Goa did not merely host a championship \u2014\u00a0it established a national benchmark for coastal rowing in India<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Under his leadership, the vision to introduce Olympic-format\u00a0Beach Sprint Rowing<\/strong>\u00a0in India became a reality, positioning Goa as a\u00a0future hub for coastal and marine sporting disciplines<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Strong Government and Institutional Support<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The championship witnessed strong backing from the state leadership and sporting authorities.<\/p>\n

Dr Pramod Sawant<\/strong>, Hon\u2019ble Chief Minister of Goa, although unable to attend due to pre-budget commitments, remained in constant touch with the organising committee to ensure the smooth conduct of the championship.<\/p>\n

Dr Ramesh Tawadkar<\/strong>, Hon\u2019ble Minister for Sports, personally visited the venue, interacted with athletes and officials of the Rowing Federation of India, and praised the efforts behind the historic event \u2014 particularly appreciating the leadership of\u00a0Tapan Acharya<\/strong>\u00a0for bringing the national championship to Goa.<\/p>\n

A key administrative force behind the event was\u00a0Dr Ajay Gaude<\/strong>, Director of the Department of Sports & Youth Affairs and holding additional charge as Executive Director of the Sports Authority of Goa. Known for his dynamic and hands-on leadership, Dr Gaude ensured coordination between departments and provided continuous support to the organisers.<\/p>\n

The championship also drew a strong national sporting presence.\u00a0Amitabh Sharma<\/strong>, Executive Committee Member of the Indian Olympic Association, President of the Ice Skating Association of India, Vice President of Asian Ice Skating, and Chief de Mission for the\u00a0Winter Olympics Milan 2026<\/strong>, played a pivotal mentoring role. Along with\u00a0Smt Rajlaxmi Deo<\/strong>, Vice President of the Indian Olympic Association, Sharma had originally envisioned the idea of holding a\u00a0Coastal Rowing Championship in Goa<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

He graced the closing ceremony as Chief Guest, while\u00a0Dr Ajay Gaude presided over the opening ceremony<\/strong>, giving the event both national credibility and international relevance.<\/p>\n

The Organising Team Behind the Success<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The flawless execution of the championship was driven by a dedicated local organising team:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Rohit Khandekar \u2013 Secretary<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Rudr Ghotge \u2013 Joint Secretary (Organising)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Vinit Kundaikar \u2013 Treasurer<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Working under the leadership of\u00a0President Tapan Acharya<\/strong>, the team demonstrated how structured planning and collaboration between sports bodies and government institutions can deliver an event of national significance.<\/p>\n

    Participation from Across the Country<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    The championship brought together athletes from\u00a019 rowing associations and defence units across India<\/strong>, including teams from:<\/p>\n

    Services, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andaman & Nicobar, Indian Navy, Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Army, Rajasthan, Telangana, Assam, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, West Bengal and Meghalaya.<\/p>\n

    The competition featured\u00a0five medal events<\/strong>, attracting some of the country\u2019s most accomplished rowers and defence athletes.<\/p>\n

    Medal Highlights that Electrified the Coastline<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    The Beach Sprint format delivered thrilling action as rowers sprinted from the sand, launched boats into the sea, navigated buoy turns, and raced back to the beach in dramatic finishes.<\/p>\n

    CM2X \u2013 Men Double Sculls
    \n<\/strong>Indian Navy\u2019s\u00a0Prabhakar Singh Rajawat<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Robin Sikander Singh<\/strong>\u00a0won Gold with a time of\u00a002:28.0<\/strong>, while Services secured Silver and Army took Bronze.<\/p>\n

    CW1X \u2013 Women Single Sculls
    \nAmrita Minj<\/strong>\u00a0from Andaman & Nicobar Islands captured Gold (03:17.8). Punjab\u2019s\u00a0Amandeep Kaur<\/strong>\u00a0won Silver and Telangana\u2019s\u00a0Gurugubelli Geetanjali<\/strong>\u00a0claimed Bronze.<\/p>\n

    CW2X \u2013 Women Double Sculls
    \n<\/strong>Maharashtra\u2019s\u00a0Shivrani Kateria<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Arushi Barar<\/strong>\u00a0powered to Gold (03:00.0). Tamil Nadu finished with Silver while Karnataka secured Bronze.<\/p>\n

    CM1X \u2013 Men Single Sculls
    \n<\/strong>Services rower\u00a0Ravi<\/strong>\u00a0clinched Gold (02:57.6). Maharashtra\u2019s\u00a0Rushikesh Shelke<\/strong>\u00a0earned Silver while Rajasthan\u2019s\u00a0Dinesh Kumar<\/strong>\u00a0took Bronze.<\/p>\n

    CMIX 2X \u2013 Mixed Double Sculls
    \n<\/strong>Karnataka\u2019s\u00a0E Ekshith Sai<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Manasa S M<\/strong>\u00a0stormed to Gold (02:46.4). Haryana secured Silver and Punjab completed the podium with Bronze.<\/p>\n

    Maharashtra Lifts the Prestigious Padma Bhushan Manohar Parrikar Trophy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    At the end of the championship,\u00a0Maharashtra emerged as the overall champions<\/strong>, winning\u00a0two medals including a gold<\/strong>, and lifted the coveted\u00a0Padma Bhushan Manohar Parrikar Trophy<\/strong>, awarded to the top-performing association of the championship.<\/p>\n

    Their consistent performances across events ensured they edged ahead in the overall standings, reinforcing Maharashtra\u2019s strong presence in Indian rowing.<\/p>\n

    Technical Excellence and Fair Competition<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    The championship was conducted under the supervision of\u00a0Ms. Smita Yadav<\/strong>, President of the Jury, ensuring adherence to national competition standards and fair play throughout the event.<\/p>\n

    Operational support from the\u00a0Department of Information & Publicity<\/strong>,\u00a0Reclevo<\/strong>,\u00a0Digiket Solutions<\/strong>, and\u00a0Drishti Marine<\/strong>\u00a0helped maintain smooth logistics, safety, and media coordination.<\/p>\n

    Goa\u2019s Sporting Identity Enters a New Era<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    With its vast coastline, administrative support, and visionary sporting leadership,\u00a0Goa has now firmly positioned itself as India\u2019s emerging Coastal Sports Capital<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    The successful hosting of the first-ever\u00a0Beach Sprint National Rowing Championship<\/strong>\u00a0is widely seen as the beginning of India\u2019s preparation for international coastal rowing competitions and potential Olympic participation.<\/p>\n

    At the heart of this transformation stands\u00a0Tapan Acharya<\/strong>, whose leadership helped convert an ambitious idea into a national milestone. Through his efforts and the collective support of government institutions and sporting bodies, Goa has proven that it is ready to host world-class marine sporting events.<\/p>\n

    As the final boats returned to shore and medals were awarded, the championship stood as a testament to what visionary leadership and collective effort can achieve. With the support of the\u00a0Rowing Federation of India Executive Council<\/strong>, led by\u00a0President Balaji Maradapa<\/strong>,\u00a0Secretary General Subhashis Mukherjee<\/strong>, and\u00a0Treasurer Chiranjit Phukan<\/strong>, the successful hosting of India\u2019s first Beach Sprint National Rowing Championship has laid a strong foundation for the future of coastal rowing in the country. With Maharashtra lifting the prestigious\u00a0Padma Bhushan Manohar Parrikar Trophy<\/strong>\u00a0and Goa proving its capability as a world-class coastal sporting destination, the event has not just celebrated champions \u2014 it has charted a new course for India\u2019s rowing ambitions on the global stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Tapan Acharya with Goa Sports Minister Dr. Ramesh Tawadkar, RFI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63,12],"tags":[2703],"class_list":["post-65271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-press-release","tag-padma-bhushan-manohar-parrikar-trophy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}