Tamil Nadu’s state roller skating championship is days away. The Tamil Nadu Roller Skating Association has scheduled its 36th State Roller Skating Championship from 30 October to 4 November 2026, and online entries closed on the evening of 23 October, according to the association’s entry page. Venues were still to be announced. Entries are filed only through authorised team managers, so a child cannot enter alone.
The timing follows a big week for the sport in the city. Chennai skater Anandkumar Velkumar defended his world title in the senior men’s 42 km marathon at the World Skate Games in Asunción, Paraguay, on 18 October, DT Next reported, after also winning silver over 1,000 m and bronze over 500 m. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay congratulated him and the junior women’s relay team that won bronze over 3,000 m. Here is how a Chennai child gets from a first pair of skates to a state meet.
Speed, artistic and the other disciplines
Roller skating is really a family of sports. The state championship entry page lists ten: speed (quad and inline), artistic skating, roller hockey, inline hockey, inline freestyle, inline slalom and downhill, roller freestyle, roller derby, skateboarding and scootering.
- Speed skating is racing against the clock or other skaters, on a rink or a road course. Beginners often start on quad skates (two pairs of wheels side by side) and move to inline skates as they get faster. This is the discipline Anandkumar races in, and the one most Chennai coaching groups teach.
- Artistic skating is judged, like figure skating on ice: jumps, spins and footwork set to music. It needs a smooth indoor or well-surfaced floor and specialist coaching, and fewer academies in the city offer it.
- Hockey and freestyle events, including slalom around cones, suit children who prefer team play or technical tricks.
The state government’s CM Trophy 2026 portal lists speed skating among its sports, which gives school and college skaters another route to state-level competition.
Where to skate in Chennai
The city’s showpiece rink is at the Nehru Indoor Stadium complex in Periamet. The state’s 2024-25 sports policy note describes it as an international-level open-air synthetic skating rink with floodlights. Its history is a lesson in how plans shift: a 2015 government order records that a ₹12 crore indoor rink announced in 2012-13 was dropped when no private partner came forward, and the government instead sanctioned ₹2.5 crore to SDAT for an outdoor rink.
Beyond Periamet, skating happens in school grounds, park pathways and private rinks. Metro rail work along the Marina pushed at least one long-running speed skating academy off the beachfront to a school ground off Dr Radhakrishnan Salai in 2024, Mylapore Times reported. The same paper reported in July 2024 that the Greater Chennai Corporation had proposed a rink at its Alphonso playground in Mandavelipakkam; we could not find an official update on whether it has opened.
How children start
- Join a coaching group. Most start in an evening batch near home, on quad skates. Ask whether the coach sends skaters to the Chennai district championship.
- Get the safety kit. A helmet, knee, elbow and wrist guards are basic; coaches will tell you what wheel and frame to buy as the child moves up.
- Register with the federation. The Roller Skating Federation of India (RSFI) runs an annual skater registration for 2026-27, which its site says is mandatory for club, district, state, national and international events. Registration is subject to approval by the district unit, the state unit and RSFI, per the registered skaters page.
- Race at district level. District championships come first and feed the state meet. The Tamil Nadu association’s website runs online registration for district championships.
- Move to state and national. State medallists are picked for the RSFI nationals. RSFI said on 10 October 2026 that preparations for the 64th National Roller Skating Championship were under way, with venues to follow.
Contacting the state association
The Tamil Nadu Roller Skating Association is registered as No. 63 of 1992 and has its office at 96 Pantheon Road, Egmore, according to RSFI’s Tamil Nadu page, which names Reji Abraham as chairman and R. Pratap Kumar as president. The association’s site gives office@tamilnaduskate.com for queries. Its site also has a Form II procedure page for national participants and medal winners; ask the office how it applies to your child.
Quick answers
When is the 2026 Tamil Nadu state skating championship?
From 30 October to 4 November 2026. Entries closed on 23 October and venues were yet to be announced.
Can my child enter a state meet directly?
No. Entries go through authorised team managers, and skaters must hold the RSFI annual registration.
Is speed or artistic skating better for a beginner?
Most Chennai beginners start with speed skating on quads, as it is the most widely coached. Artistic skating needs specialist coaching.
Where is Chennai’s main public rink?
The floodlit open-air synthetic rink at the Nehru Indoor Stadium complex, Periamet.
Information checked against official sources on 23 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- 36th Tamil Nadu State Roller Skating Championship 2026 entry page (Tamil Nadu Roller Skating Association)
- Tamil Nadu Roller Skating Association (official site)
- Tamil Nadu state unit page (Roller Skating Federation of India)
- Registered skaters 2026-27 (Roller Skating Federation of India)
- Policy Note 2024-25, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- CM Trophy 2026 official portal (SDAT)
- G.O. (Ms) No. 23, Youth Welfare and Sports Development, 2015: outdoor skating rink (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- CM Vijay congratulates TN skaters on World Skate Games medals (DT Next)
- Skating tag page: Marina academy and Mandavelipakkam rink plan (Mylapore Times)
