28 delegations present at the official opening of the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
SURFING DOWN THE STREETS OF ALMADA, PORTUGAL
05 MAY 2007 -- The Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships paraded through the city of Almada, Portugal today in a grand and colourful opening ceremony. This event, famous for its spirit of international brotherhood and Olympic style competition, has set a new record this year: 261 surfers, representing 28 nations.
The 28 delegations gathered early morning next to the Courthouse in Almada, near the capital city of Lisbon, and proceeded to parade in style through the streets of Almada, up to the Praça da Liberdade. Inspired by the Olympic Games, the team from host country Portugal closed the parade to the pride and satisfaction of vast numbers of spectators who cheered them on every step of the way.
The culmination of today’s event was the traditional Sands of the World ceremony where the 28 participating nations poured sand from their local beaches into a single vase - symbolising the union of the peoples and the ISA’s hopes for world peace. Fernando Aguerre, the International Surfing Association (ISA) President, then officially launched the competition. In his speech, Aguerre highlighted the “importance of achieving this record participation, with 261 athletes from 31 selections, a strong sign of junior surfing’s importance”. The Mayor of Almada, Maria Emília Neto de Sousa, also spoke of the “honour of hosting such a prestigious world sports event”.
Less than 12 hours remain before the first surfers paddle out at Caparica Beach and the Portuguese Team Coach José Braga, was optimistic about his squad’s chances. “The whole team feels motivated and in great shape. We have expectations of a top 10 finish”. Last year’s winner, Team Australia, is again the favourite to take the overall title, but South Africa, Hawaii, USA and Brazil are also looking strong.
Small waves are forecast for the next few days with an increase predicted later in the week.
The Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships will be broadcast live on the Internet, at www.quiksilver.com/isa. Martin Potter, 1989 world champion of surfing, leads the commentary team and the webcast will run each day from 8am to 4pm local time (GMT). Photos, videos and results will also be updated continuously. The physical event site, built on a wide sandy Caparica beach, is quite impressive as it features skate ramps, tents for each team, full service press area and elevated judging suites.
organization:
Caparica Surfing Clube
Praia do CDS - Costa de Caparica
Telf: 212 919 078 | Fax: 212 919 079
E-mail: caparicaeventos@mail.telepac.pt
PR5 | MAIO ’07
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About International Surfing Association (ISA):
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for surfing, bodyboarding and surfriding. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980.
ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of over 50 countries on six continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. It is presided by Fernando Aguerre, first elected in 1994 in Rio, and re-elected six times since. The ISA's four Vice Presidents are Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Maile Aguerre (Hawaii) and Mike Gerard (USA).
www.isasurf.org
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