Sports Tourism in India

**minisoji** · 02-21-2009, 06:43 AM

Sport tourism denotes tourism which is based on the theme of sports; this particular term and the movement associated with largely has been catered to by the western world comprising of North America, Australia and Europe. But nonetheless, it is revolutionizing the tourism sector in other corners of the world; India is a popular holiday destinations in the world where sports tourism is gaining immense prominence and popularity. Sports tourism in India is being encouraged by the tourism providers in India. It means that vacations to India are sports-oriented. Sports tourism in India is indeed lucrative from the point of revenue-earning.

Sports are an integral part of the Indian sub-continent. India is top destination offering tourists with great and excellent scope for skiing in the Himalayan ranges, going on bicycle tour on the Indian roads or canoeing or whitewater rafting in the hilly streams and rivers. You can go in for mountaineering, rock climbing and aero-sports like hand gliding, ballooning and paragliding in places like Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Darjeeling.
There are numerous water sports and activities in India, especially in Goa and other popular beach destinations. Surfing the waves or water-scooting is great fun in the Indian seas. Scuba diving, angling and fishing are integral part of sports tourism in India. Golf courses in India largely encourage sports tourism in the Indian peninsula. Golf is an internationally acclaimed sports and favorite to people. The magnificent golf courses attract professional golfers and amateur golfers. Even the luxury resorts in India have private golf courses where tourist can tee off to a fun time during their leisure vacation to India. There are many traditional games in India which tourists take great interest; one such sport is the famous boat race of Kerala.

Business tours combined with active sports activities are becoming highly popular; here business meets leisure and such kind of sports tourism on business tours is a global corporate strategy for employee entertainment and well-being. Moreover sports tourism is nurtured by the professional sportsperson; they have to travel extensively for their career. Sportsmen and sportswomen come from all parts of the world to participate in international championships and tournaments like Cricket World Cup, Soccer World Cup or tennis events like Wimbledon. For instance ASEAN games and Commonwealth games have drawn sports professionals to India and will do so in all the future sports events in India.

It is an interesting fact of history… in the ancient past Romans and Greeks used to travel to several places to participate in sports. Hence sports tourism in the modern context is an off-shoot of this very old practice; it can be said that is an adapted version of the theme. The only difference is that it leisure travel comes along with it

Sports tourism in India is an absolute must for all the thrill seekers. The geographical diversities of India open up great avenues for adventure sports and activitie

Keywords: Travel and tourism, indian tourism, kerala tourism, sports tourism in india

**minisoji** · 02-21-2009, 06:46 AM

Sports Events in India

India has hosted many important sports events over the years. Many national and international sports events are held in India every year. One of the most important upcoming sports events coming up in India is the Commonwealth Games scheduled to held in New Delhi in 2010. Other sports events in India that are held every year include the Santosh trophy which is an annual football event where all the local teams and clubs take part from each states. The Durand Cup is another football tournament that is held every year in India. It is the oldest football tournament in India. Federation Cup is another popular football tournament held in India every year. IFA shield is also one of the major football tournaments in India.

Other sports events in India include various cricket tournaments. Cricket being the one of the most popular sports in India, the sports is played in both national level and international level. Ranji trophy is an annually held cricket tournament in India that is played between different states and provinces. The Ranji trophy is the first class domestic cricket which also act as doorway for players to get entry in the national team. Other notable cricket championships held in India include Challenger Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Irani trophy and Deodhar Trophy. India also hosted the 1987 cricket world cup along with Pakistan. India again hosted the cricket world cup along with Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 1996.

India also hosts many hockey tournaments throughout the year. Some of these include All India Aagha Khan Hockey Tournament, All India MCC Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament, Obaidullah Khan Gold Cup, All India Lal Bahadur Shastri Hockey Tournament and All India Beighton Cup Hockey Tournament.

Among other sports events in India, tennis tournaments that are held in India include Sunfeast Open, Chennai Open and Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open.

Tournaments held in India in shooting include Asian Clay Shooting Championship... 2003, 2nd South Asian Shooting Championship... 1997, VI World Cup... 1997, ISSF World Cup... 2000, 7th South Asian Federation Games... 1995, ISSF World Cup... 2003, 1st Commonwealth Championship... 1995

India has also hosted many world cup events from time to time in different fields of sports like football, cricket, hockey for both men and women. Other sports events in India include the 8th Asian Pacific Age Group Swimming & Diving Championships held in 1994. India also hosted the 7th SAF Games in 1995. In 1999, the 13th Asian Pacific Age Group Swimming & Diving Championships was also hosted by India. Some more sports events in India held in the past include 4th Women's Asia Cup in Hockey, 1999, Women's Hockey Tournament, 1996, 6th Indira Gandhi International Gold Cup, 1997 for Women hockey and so on.

Some more sports events held in India also include various table tennis tournaments like Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship, 15th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship, 13th Asia Cup Table Tennis Tournament, VII Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship,VIth Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship, 15th Asia Cup Table Tennis Tournament, 14th Asian Cup Table Tennis Tournament.

**minisoji** · 02-21-2009, 06:49 AM

Popular Sports in India

Hockey is the official sport in India. However soccer and cricket are the two most popular sports in India. There are also other traditional sports like kho kho and kabbadi that are quite popular and are even played in the national and international levels. India has excelled in sports since the time of the Vedas. Even in the great Indian epics we get to know about the sport activities of India. All the sports in India are played by both men and women and have earned fame for their country.

Cricket is considered to be the most popular sports in India although hockey is the official sport of the country. Cricket became the popular sports from 17th century and still persists to be the most popular sports of the country. India won the cricket world cup in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. India also won the ICC Twenty20 world championship, a new form of cricket, in 2007 under captaincy of MS Dhoni. India also boasts in winning the World Championship of Cricket under the captaincy of Sunil Gavaskar in 1985.

Hockey is recognized as the official sport of India. India had been one of the top most names in hockey till the middle of 20th century. India also holds the record for winning gold medals in the Olympic games for 8 times. India also won the 1975 World Cup. India also became the runner up in the World Cup championship in 1973. One of the most notable names in Indian Hockey is Major Dhyanchand. India has also won the Asia in 2007.

Kabaddi is also noted among popular sports in India. This is also one of the traditional games in India. India really excels in Kabaddi and has bagged many awards. India won the gold medal in World cup and Asian Games for men held in 2006.

Badminton is one of the most popular sports in India. Badminton is played by both children and adult specially during the winter months. Some of the notable names associated with badminton in India are or Prakash Padukone as well as Pullela Gopichand. Both of them bagged the All England Badminton championship and have earned fame and name for themselves as well as for their country. Saina Nehwal is one of the emerging badminton players in India.

Chess is one of the oldest sports in India. India has produced several grandmasters over the years. Famous chess personalities in India include Vishwanathan Anand, Parimarjan Negi, Koneru Humpy are only a few names to add on the list.

Football is another popular sports in India. Although introduced by the British, there are many clubs and teams apart from the national team that play football. One of the major championship won by India in football in the Nehru cup championship.

Boxing is not so much popular sports in India although India have own medals in the Commonwealth Games as well as the Asian Games. Notable Indian boxers are Kalpana Chaudhary, Sarita Devi, Aruna Mishra.

Formula One is another sports though dominated once by the western countries, India is gaining popularity day by day. The one name that is associated with Formula One is Narain Karthikeyan.

Other popular sports in India include long tennis, table tennis, golf, billiards, archery and so on.

**minisoji** · 02-21-2009, 06:51 AM

Kerala Boat Race, India

Kerala boat race, India is defined by the several boat races in Kerala, the emerald state lying at the south-western tip of India. Boat racing is one of the old traditional games of India; in Kerala you will get the full flavor of this sport. There is active participation of the Kerala folks in the boat races and tournaments; boat racing is no less than a community festival out here. Keralites look forward to the annual boat races and so does the tourist who flocks to this place to feel the pulse of this thrilling sport in southern India. Kerala boat race encourages the growth of sports tourism in India.

Boat races in Kerala lure sports enthusiasts and leisure seekers to ‘God’s Own Country’. This sport, taking place in the backwaters of Kerala, represents team spirit and integration. The snake boat races in Kerala are marked by colorful fiestas and festivals and they take place during the harvest festival in the months of August and September. These snake boats or ‘chundans’ are rowed by 100-125 oarsmen and managed by four helmsmen. There are 25 singers who sing ‘vanchipattu’ or the boatman’s song and rows simultaneously. There are thousands others who line the shores of the backwaters and cheer for their team.

The popular snake boat races of Kerala are:

* Aranmula Uthrattadi Vallamkali… This boat racing competition taking place at Onam is marked by colorful festivities. This colorful water carnival is a dramatic re-enactment of a legend where a religious Brahmin offered food to a pilgrim. It is connected to Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple and on the first day of the event the effigy of Shri Krishna is carried out in procession and on the second day colorfully decorated snake boats assembles; theses boats move in pairs and this magnificent assemblage is enjoyed by young and the old.

* Champakulam Moolam Boat Race… it is one of the ancient boat races in Kerala that is associated with the Shri Krishna temple at Ambalappuzha; in the Malayalam calendar on the ‘moolam’ day in the month of ‘midhunam’ this boat race takes place in Champakulam lake. This date is significant since the deity was installed on this day. The boats are exquisitely decorated with parasols.

* Payippad Jalotsavam… this is an annual fiesta of Kerala taking place for a stretch of three days on the Payippad Lake. It takes place in dedication to the deity at Subramanya Swamy Temple at Haripad.

* Nehru Trophy Boat Race… this is one of the popular boat events in Kerala. Punnamada Lake is the venue of Nehru Trophy Boat Race. This trophy is unique because there are separate competitions for women

Other popular boat races of Kerala are:

* ATDC Boat Race
* Rajiv Gandhi Boat Race
* Neerettupuram Boat Race
* Karuvatta Boat Race
* Kumarakom Boat Race
* Kavanattinkara Boat Race
* Kottayam Mahatma Boat Race
* Thazhathangadi Boat Race
* Kottapuram Boat Race
* The Indira Gandhi Boat Race

**minisoji** · 02-21-2009, 06:55 AM

Destinations in India offering Sports Tourism

Sports tourism in India is carving a niche for itself in Indian tourism industry. Sports tourism is broadly defined by the adventure sports and games in India. There are indeed several destinations in India offering sports tourism. There are varied sports activities that you can indulge during your leisure vacation to India. Mountaineering, rock climbing, scuba diving, white water rafting, kayaking, canoeing, sailing, surfing, water scooting, snorkeling and aero sports activities like ballooning, paragliding and hand gliding offer attractive scope for sports lovers and enthusiasts from all parts of the world. Among the innumerable destinations in India offering sports tourism Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Goa and Andaman & Nicobar Islands are extremely popular and loved by tourists.

The Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh has become a prime center of adventure sport activities. Sports tourism in Himachal Pradesh comprises of adventure sports like trekking, skiing, golfing, river rafting, para gliding and mountain cycling. The favorite places to ski are Manali, Shimla and Kufri. The snow covered golf course at Naldehra provides amazing golfing experience. Enjoy rafting in the mountain rapids and rivers of the state; Chandrabhaga, Ravi and Beas are the rivers where you can raft and kayak. In the Solang valley, lying close to Manali, you can enjoy aero sports like paragliding; Kullu and Kangra are good places to enjoy these sorts of aero sport activities. Mountain biking areas in Himachal Pradesh are Una, Kangra, Bilaspur and Hamirpur; you can enjoy mountain biking at Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur.

Sports tourism in Goa is marked by the numerous options of water sports; windsurfing, water-skiing, parasailing and dinghy sailing are popular water sports of Goa. The coastal stretches of Goa make this state in the western part of India simply a paradise for the aquatic sports lovers. Sports tourism in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, just like Goa, offers enjoyable and thrilling water games and activities to both national and international sports enthusiasts.

Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim and Darjeeling in West Bengal also feature as destinations in India offering sports tourism. Skiing in Gulmarg is a thrilling and breath-taking experience. In the beautiful state situated in the foothills of Mount Kanchenjunga, Sikkim you can take great pleasure in adventure sports. You can trek to Bakhim and to Yuksam and Dzongri. Mountain biking can be done in North and West Sikkim. Tista and Rangit are two mountain rivers of Sikkim; you can look for a thrilling rafting and kayaking experience in these rivers. Jorethang in West Sikkim is a glider’s favorite. Darjeeling blessed with panoramic views of Everest and Kanchenjunga has attracted thousands of trekkers.

One common point to be noted among the hilly states and regions of India is that the respective state governments are taking optimum measures to capitalize on the natural setting in order to promote sports tourism in India. States marked by presence of seas, oceans and water bodies are encouraging sports tourism through varied water sports. Goa, Kerala and Andaman & Nicobar Islands deserve mention in this regard. Hence destinations in India offering sports tourism promote and popularize adventurous sports activities in accordance to their geographical uniqueness.

**nofpsy** · 03-09-2009, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by netfree

Kerala Boat Race, India

Kerala boat race, India is defined by the several boat races in Kerala, the emerald state lying at the south-western tip of India. Boat racing is one of the old traditional games of India; in Kerala you will get the full flavor of this sport. There is active participation of the Kerala folks in the boat races and tournaments; boat racing is no less than a community festival out here. Keralites look forward to the annual boat races and so does the tourist who flocks to this place to feel the pulse of this thrilling sport in southern India. Kerala boat race encourages the growth of sports tourism in India.

Boat races in Kerala lure sports enthusiasts and leisure seekers to ‘God’s Own Country’. This sport, taking place in the backwaters of Kerala, represents team spirit and integration. The snake boat races in Kerala are marked by colorful fiestas and festivals and they take place during the harvest festival in the months of August and September. These snake boats or ‘chundans’ are rowed by 100-125 oarsmen and managed by four helmsmen. There are 25 singers who sing ‘vanchipattu’ or the boatman’s song and rows simultaneously. There are thousands others who line the shores of the backwaters and cheer for their team.

The popular snake boat races of Kerala are:

* Aranmula Uthrattadi Vallamkali… This boat racing competition taking place at Onam is marked by colorful festivities. This colorful water carnival is a dramatic re-enactment of a legend where a religious Brahmin offered food to a pilgrim. It is connected to Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple and on the first day of the event the effigy of Shri Krishna is carried out in procession and on the second day colorfully decorated snake boats assembles; theses boats move in pairs and this magnificent assemblage is enjoyed by young and the old.

* Champakulam Moolam Boat Race… it is one of the ancient boat races in Kerala that is associated with the Shri Krishna temple at Ambalappuzha; in the Malayalam calendar on the ‘moolam’ day in the month of ‘midhunam’ this boat race takes place in Champakulam lake. This date is significant since the deity was installed on this day. The boats are exquisitely decorated with parasols.

* Payippad Jalotsavam… this is an annual fiesta of Kerala taking place for a stretch of three days on the Payippad Lake. It takes place in dedication to the deity at Subramanya Swamy Temple at Haripad.

* Nehru Trophy Boat Race… this is one of the popular boat events in Kerala. Punnamada Lake is the venue of Nehru Trophy Boat Race. This trophy is unique because there are separate competitions for women

Other popular boat races of Kerala are:

* ATDC Boat Race
* Rajiv Gandhi Boat Race
* Neerettupuram Boat Race
* Karuvatta Boat Race
* Kumarakom Boat Race
* Kavanattinkara Boat Race
* Kottayam Mahatma Boat Race
* Thazhathangadi Boat Race
* Kottapuram Boat Race
* The Indira Gandhi Boat Race

im fink im come to there.......