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Book Ocean Conman for taking Goans for a ride
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Book Ocean Conman for taking Goans for a ride

Uncategorized October 31, 2025 , by

By Rajan Narayan

Goans are beginning to say ‘No’ to being taken for a ride. This was amply visibly in their reaction to Oceanman Endurance Goa – a sports event seemingly full of irregularities and fraud – after forcing the scrapping of Formula 4 in Vasco

THE controversial Oceanman Endurance Goa – an international open-water swimming competition, held between October 14 and October 26, 2025 at Miramar beach in Panjim – was, apparently, a huge con. The 800-plus contestants for the Goa qualifying round had to pay a registration fee of over Rs2 lakh.
They also had to make their own arrangement for travel and stay at the venue, which was in Goa this year. As the Goa leg of the so-called five-continent event was only a qualifier, there was no prize money involved.
There were only trophies and certificates for the top ten winners in each category, who then qualified for the Asian challenge round that is to be held in Dubai. Not surprisingly, some participants have filed a complaint of fraud against the Indian franchise-holder Kapil Arora, who is said to head KA Sports and Events – an event management company registered in Mumbai.
Oceanman is a Spanish swimwear and gear brand that organises open-water swimming competitions across five continents. The contest is a promotion vehicle for its swimwear products and water sports equipment.
The prize money seems to be a nominal 300 pounds to 1,000 pounds in the continental challenge rounds, going up to 1,500 pounds in the global round. This is equivalent to about Rs10 lakh. Kapil Arora is alleged to have taken the blessings of Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte.
The Tourism Department has reportedly entered into an MoU with Ironman – a similar global challenge featuring triathlons and endurance events across global locations. The Indian franchise owner for Ironman is Yoska, founded by Deepak Raj and N Rudra Prasad in 2015.
Originally an American brand, Ironman – owned by the World Triathlon Corporation – was taken over by the Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group in 2015. Later, in 2020, it was sold to Advance Publications.
The prize money for Ironman is higher at around $5million. In case of Oceanman, there was no pact with Goa Tourism. The company, apparently, had not got permission from the River Navigation Department, Goa Swimming Association or Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA).
Participants complained there were no safety or medical facilities for participants amongst whom were children. The local fishing community at Caranzalem was not taken into confidence even though the event entailed participants trespassing on their livelihood of fishing space, casting their fishing nets in small boats offshore in the Mandovi riverine waters here at Miramar beach.
It seems the Goa government has become obsessed with the idea of promoting the state as an international event destination, but surely not at the cost of Goans’ livelihoods? Naturally, the old fishing settlement here at the end of the Miramar beach bay found it revolting, especially when their fishing nets laid out offshore got affected by the sporting activity. It may be remembered that the government changed its mind and said no to the Formula 4 event which was to happen in the Vasco da Gama port city vicinity and for which it was reported that the government had sanctioned a contingency fund of Rs130 crore.
Now, they have shaken their head to Oceanman too. Let’s wait and watch what the reaction will be to the SKF Goa River Marathon scheduled for December later this year. In all likelihood even that could get a thumbs down.

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