Rahul Chiplunkar, founder of the Open Water Amateur Aquatics Federation (OWAAF), announced an update on what he and his colleagues in India have been doing to organize, promote, and professionalize the sport of open water swimming across the world’s most populous country with 1.46 billion people. He says, “These initiatives are driven by our commitment to developing open water swimming as a recognized and respected sport in India.
We are also in the process of obtaining official recognition from the Government of India for Open Water Adventure Swimming as a recognized sporting discipline a major milestone for our community.
We are pleased to announce the 2026 OWAAF National Sea Swimming Championship to be held on March 28-29th at Colva Beach in Goa. For more information on the event, visit here.
In 2025, over 700 swimmers participated across multiple age categories ranging from 7 years to 65 and above. Building on that success, this year we expect participation from over 900 swimmers from across India, competing in distances of 1 km, 2 km, 5 km, and 10 km. Our goal remains to make open water swimming accessible and popular while maintaining world-class standards. To achieve this, we have kept the registration fee as low as US$28, ensuring affordability for all participants without compromising on quality or safety.”
We hope to inspire thousands of young swimmers to take up the sport with pride and discipline.
We truly believe India holds immense potential to become a key hub for open water swimming in Asia so we can collectively elevate this sport to greater heights.“
The Goa Sea Pride 2026 will offer 1 km and 10 km sea swims on March 28th and 2 km and 5 km sea swims on March 29th. Colva Beach is famous in South Goa known for its long stretch of white sand, calm waters, and vibrant sunsets, popular with both domestic and international tourists for its blend of relaxation and activity. It is located 23 km from Goa International Airport (Dabolim).
© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“
World Open Water Swimming Federation, a human-powered project
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