Festival presented by Quiksilver that will take place in Wanning, Hainan Island, China.
From January 6 to 14, China will become the international surfing capital with the world’s top surfers competing on their National Teams in the ISA China Cup followed by a second surfing competition, the Hainan Classic, an ASP Men’s 4-Star contest. It will be the first time ever in the history of the country that surfing events of this magnitude take place.
As the opening event in the Festival, from January 6 to 9, the ISA China Cup will be invitation-only featuring the top eight surfing nations in the world based on the National Team results from the recent 2011 ISA World Surfing Games in Panama.
All eight invited National Teams have accepted, including: Australia, Brazil, France, Argentina, South Africa, Peru, Venezuela and the USA. Each National Team will include their country’s best four men and two women shortboarders, who will compete for Team and Individual Gold Medals and the honor of representing their nations.
Following the completion of the ISA China Cup, the festival will continue with the Hainan Classic, January 11-14, which the ISA has confirmed will have a total prize purse of $ 95,000 USD. This historic competition will be the first ASP event ever in China that will count towards the ASP Men’s World Ranking.
“This is not just the first ISA event and the top eight surfing nations in the world competing in an international surfing event in China,” stated ISA President Fernando Aguerre, who has been leading the ISA’s initiative into China for the past 18 months. “This is a demonstration of the growth of surfing across the world. China, the most populated country on the planet with 1.3 billion people, wants their youth to surf and eventually compete with the world’s top surfers. This event will mark a ‘before and after’ in the history of the country and of Chinese surfing. I can’t wait to surf some waves over there.”
The ISA selected the left point break at Riyue Bay on Hainan Island off the coast of southeast China after consulting with Sean Collins, founder and President of Surfline (www.surfline.com). Collins is generally considered the world’s foremost surf forecaster. He conducted a historical analysis of the surf along the east coast of Hainan and, after visiting the Island in March, he reported that Riyue Bay held the best opportunity for world class waves.
Collins remarked, “Hainan Island in China produces consistent fun surf during the winter, and especially during the month of January according to our research of swell patterns over the last 15 years. I am very impressed with the local setup of various good quality surf breaks around the Riyue Bay area that enjoy prevailing offshore winds and clean conditions during the best swells.”
The Hainan Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival presented by Quiksilver will be a historic event, the result of the combined efforts of the ISA, the Governments of Hainan Island and the City of Wanning, and Quiksilver.
Quiksilver Chairman and CEO, Bob McKnight commented from his Huntington Beach, California headquarters, “We see China as potentially one of the biggest action sports markets in the world, and as such is a key region of our company's growth strategy.
Through this International Surfing Festival produced by the ISA, Quiksilver hopes to further expand our brand’s awareness and build on its image and reputation as the world’s leading board riding company. As the Festival will be broadcast live on the internet in China and throughout the world, we are looking forward to the youth of China embracing our sport and enjoying all the lifestyle attributes associated with it.”
With a coastline of 9,000 miles, a lot of unexplored surfing breaks, strong support from the highest levels of Government for surfing, the opportunity is ripe for the ISA to help China become a surfing powerhouse in the years to come.
Media Contacts
ISA Media Manager
Pablo Zanocchi:
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ASP Media Manager
Steve Robertson:
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ASP Media Officer
Will Hayden-Smith:
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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 World Bodyboard Championship in 2011, and the first World Standup Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship in 2012.
ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies of 70 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).
