Panama is preparing to once again host one of the biggest surfing events in the world, the ISA REEF WORLD SURFING GAMES (WSG), which will take place in Santa Catalina, Veraguas Province. From May 4 to 12, 2013, we will be visited by the top surfers from more than 20 countries all over the world. For nearly 10 days, the surfing world will have its eyes fixed on Panama and one of our country's best waves.
The ISA WSG brings together surfers from around the world to compete in teams in the Open Men and Open Women divisions. Each national team will have a maximum of four men and two women.
This year's ISA WORLD SURFING GAMES will determine which teams will attend the invitational event, ISA China Cup, part of the Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival on Hainan Island, China. The seven top-ranking teams from the WSG will be invited to participate in this festival alongside the host Chinese team.
In addition to being awarded the Fernando Aguerre Perpetual Trophy, the gold medal-winning team will also receive a commemorative trophy for the Fifth Centenary of the Discovery of the Pacific Ocean, as part of the celebration of the Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa's spotting of what was known in the colonial era as the South Sea, now called the Pacific Ocean.
The event will be inaugurated on May 4th with an Opening Ceremony and the traditional Parade of Nations. At 10:00 a.m. all the teams will parade to Soná Park for the Sand Ceremony, where every country will pour sand from their country's beach into a transparent tank in an act that symbolizes how the love of surfing peacefully unites all nations.
Competition in both Open Men and Women categories will begin on Sunday May 5th and continue for the next eight days, concluding on the 12th in the afternoon with the award ceremony.
Santa Catalina is located in the province of Veraguas, approximately 2 hours from Santiago. The wave is a point break that is predominantly right-hand, tubular and intense. Given the time of the year, it could potentially have a good swell, but this will be confirmed 10 days prior to the event.
The last ISA World Surfing Games was also held in Panama, in 2011 on Venao Beach in Pedasí. It was one of the world events with the highest participation in the history of the ISA, attended by 27 national delegations and more than 200 surfers.
The ISA REEF WORLD SURFING GAMES is the fourth event the International Surfing Association has held in Panama. The first was the ISA World Masters Surfing Championship in 2010, which also took place in Santa Catalina. Venao Beach then took over as host the next year, in 2011, for the ISA World Surfing Games, followed by the 2012 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.
For further information, we invite you to attend the press conference on Thursday, April 18 at 11:00 a.m. at the Mykonos Hotel in Santiago.
This event would not be possible without the support of the Panama Tourism Authority, Reef, Cerveza Atlas, Squirt, Cable and Wireless, Copa Airlines, Surfos, Surfline, Surfersvillage.com, Gravedad Zero, Surfos Magazine, Pasión Extrema, Waves.com.br, Surfeapanama.com and the Panamanian Surfing Association.
About the International Surfing Association
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the governing organization for surfing globally. It was founded in 1964 as the International Surfing Federation and ever since has been organizing Open Division World Championships: the World Youth since 1980, the Masters since 2007, the World Bodyboard since 2011, the World Standup Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship and the Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival in China since 2012. The ISA also sanctions the World Kneeboard Titles and the Tandem Surfing World Title.
ISA members include National Federations in 73 countries on five continents. Its headquarters are located in La Jolla, California. It is presided by Fernando Aguerre (Argentina), elected President for the first time in 1994 in Rio de Janeiro and re-elected seven times since. The four Vice Presidents of ISA are Alan Atkins (Australia), Karin Sierralta (Peru), Debbie Beacham (United States) and Layne Beachley (Australia).
ISA WORLD SURFING GAMES CONTEST FORMAT
32 Countries
192+ Athletes and Officials
6 athletes per team + 1 coach
2 Divisions
4 Open Men
2 Open Women
1 Gold Medal National Team
Watch the Reef ISA World Surfing Games live at this website.
For more information write:
Carlos Escaba
ISA Marketing and Media Manager
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Jose Duarte
ISA Latin America Media Coordinator
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