FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Pablo Zanocchi
Media Manager
International Surfing Association
[email protected]La Jolla, California, August 8, 2011- The International Surfing Association is proud to announce the first edition of the ISA World Standup Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship (ISA WSUPPC). The event is confirmed to take place February 6-11, 2012 on the beaches of Miraflores, home of the famous Waikiki Surf Club, the cradle of modern Peruvian Surfing.
The ISA decided to hold its own signature SUP and Paddleboard event in response to the explosive growth of the disciplines all over the world. "We're thrilled to announce the creation of another World Championship," said ISA President, Fernando Aguerre. "Standup Paddle Surfing and Racing are truly global sports and the ISA wants to support them with this yearly competition. On the other hand, we have Paddleboarding, a classic discipline practiced by many traditional and non-traditional surfing Nations. The combination of these two in one of the world's biggest surf cities, Lima, will give us an amazing event that I'm already looking forward to," ended Aguerre.
Karín Sierralta, Executive Director of the Peruvian Surfing Federation and ISA Vice-President said, "I'm excited because this coming year will be the third in a row that Peru organizes an elite ISA event. We enjoy having the National Teams from surfing Nations all over the world come to visit and surf in Peru. The World Junior Surfing Championship held earlier this year in Peru was a huge success and we hope the next event will be a repeat. Miraflores is a beautiful place with the best hotels, restaurants and points of interests, and it has a rich surfing and paddleboarding history."
The ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship will include the following divisions:
- Men and Women SUP Surfing
- Men and Women SUP Sprint Racing
- Men and Women SUP Long Course Racing
- Men/Women Sprint Relay
- Men and Women Paddleboard Race
Over 100 competitors from over 20 countries are expected to attend the historic event. It will be the first time ever that SUP surfers and racers, and Paddleboarders gather to defend their native colors in an ISA World Championship.
About the International Surfing Association
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running Open Division World Championships since 1964, Junior World Championships since 1980, and Masters World Championships since 2007. The ISA also sanctions the World Kneeboard Titles and the Tandem Surfing World Title, and will hold the first World Bodyboard Championship in 2011, and the first World Standup Paddle and (SUP) Championship in 2012.
ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies of 69 countries on five continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. It is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (Argentina), first elected President in 1994 in Rio de Janeiro and re-elected seven times since. The ISA's three Vice-Presidents are Alan Atkins (AUS), Karín Sierralta (PER) and Debbie Beacham (USA).
