Subject to change. Contact the ISA to schedule your registration appointment.

Team confirmation, payment, seeded competitor lists and all documentation must be finalized with the ISA by close of registration on 03 May 2013 at 3:00pm to participate in the 2013 ISA World Surfing Games.

This event has a LIMIT ON THE NUMBER OF ATHLETES PERMITTED, so the ISA urges teams to finalize the complete team registration and payment as soon as possible (see “Registration Requirements” below).  Competitors will be accepted on a first come first served basis.  Register today to confirm your registration.

AN ATHLETE IS NOT GUARANTEED A SPACE IN THE EVENT WITHOUT REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT.

TEAM SIZE AND AGE DIVISIONS:

·         4 Open Men

·         2 Open Women

·         Alternates, Team Officials and Team Supporters

The current rate for registration is $175USD per registrant.  This rate is only available for all registration payments and documents received by the ISA prior to the close of registration.  See the complete Registration Fee schedule in the proceeding section.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of the ISA World Surfing Games, the ISA has implemented a registration schedule to allow FULL teams to confirm participation on a first come, first serve basis.  Full team registration will open (1) week prior to registration for both PARTIAL and FULL teams.

• REGISTRATION OPEN FOR FULL TEAMS ONLY, 7 – 13 Jan, 2013
  • Full Teams include (8) athletes and at least (1) Team Official
  • Full Team registration is on a first come, first serve basis

• Registration for PARTIAL and FULL Teams, begins 14 Jan, 2013
  • Remaining registrations will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis

The benefits of registration include:

1. Access to Official ISA Pre and Post Event Communications
2. Invitations to Official Event Functions
3. Official transportation as described below
   • Lodging to/from Official Events and Meetings
   • Lodging to/from Contest Venue

4. Participation in the Parade of Nations and Official Opening Ceremony
5. Access to Team discounted rates for lodging, and food and airfare, if negotiated by the host organizer
6. Official Event T-Shirt
7. Official gift bag with Rulebook, Event Program, Sticker, Poster, etc.
8. Access to Team Tents at Contest Venue
9. Water at Contest Venue

The ISA’s policy is to collect registration fees for all those officially associated with each team, as well as those who desire to obtain any of the registration benefits. This includes all coaches, medical staff, translators, media, family members and friends who want VIP credentials.

REGISTRATION FEES

REGISTRATION FEE SCHEDULE

• Teams will pay USD$175 per registrant if fees are received by end of day on 19 April 2013.
• Teams will pay USD$200 per registrant if fees are received between 20 April – 25 April 2013.
• Teams will pay USD$225 per registrant if fees are received onsite at event on 26 April 2013. (US$ and credit cards only; no checks)

The ISA will only accept USD$, or online payments through the ISA Store with credit card, during Team Registration and throughout the duration of the contest.  Please bring the correct amount.

Items to note:

• Registration fees will be charged to each team member, managers, coaches, translators, medical staff, media, supporters and additional parties.
• All registrants must sign an Indemnity Form and Code of Conduct provided by the ISA.
• A surfer competing in more than one division is required to pay a Registration Fee for each division entered.
• Alternates must be identified and paid for prior to close of registration to be eligible for participation in the contest.
• Teams must register as a team, and have all the registration requirements collected and ready to hand over before their registration can begin.

OUTSTANDING BALANCES

• A nation will not be allowed to compete if it has any outstanding dues payable to the ISA. Contact ISA Operations Coordinator, Anne Tuite at annetuite@isasurf.org to verify outstanding account balances.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Registration will take place during the day on May 1 – 3, 2013. Please review the ISA’s registration requirements.

Submit to ISA at least 30 days prior to the event:

1. Complete list of names of all participants.  ISA has requested this information no later than 6 March 2013.
2. Requested Event Registration Appointment date and time.
3. Travel & Accommodation Information.
4. Athlete Bios to be used for media purposes.
5. Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) forms.  These forms may be submitted via email or fax to the ISA HQ and are requested at least 30 days in advance of the contest.
6. ISA Indemnity Form for each registered team member AND ALL REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS.
7. Code of Conduct - forms must be completed and signed.
8. List of team email addresses

Submit to ISA during on-site Registration, (May 1-3, 2013):

1. Passports - All athletes’ nationality and ages must be confirmed. Actual passport and clear copies of passports must be provided at time of registration.
2. Sand – 2.5 liters of dry sand from the beaches of your country for the Sands of the World Ceremony.  Label the sand container with country and beach name.
3. National Flag
4. ISA Competitor Stickers and National Flag Stickers – The ISA requires all athletes to place the mandatory ISA Competitor and National Flag stickers on the top 1/3 of their board (front and back) prior to entering the water for their heats.  ISA Competitor stickers will be distributed by the Beach Marshalls, and athletes are required to bring their own National Flag stickers to the event.
5. Photos of each athlete – To be taken during Registration and used for online media purposes

Athlete Attendance at Registration

All team athletes must be present at time of registration for personal verification of their identity by ISA officials.  It is the Team Manager’s responsibility to ensure athletes are present during registration.  Please arrange accordingly, since athletes not present will not be registered and will not be allowed participation in the competition.  There shall be no exception to this requirement of physical attendance of competitors during registration of the team.

IMPORTANT – A nation will not be allowed to compete if it has any outstanding dues payable to the ISA.

For Credit Card payments, pay through the ISA Store on the ISA website, www.isasurf.org – “ISA Event Registration Fee”.
For Onsite payment, the ISA will only accept US Dollars.
For Wire transfers, please contact the ISA for details.

Representation
The ISA will ONLY accept a valid passport from the country the athlete is representing as proof of nationality for participation in World Championship events. The only exception is for National Identification cards issued by the National Government of the team country that clearly shows “Nationality or Citizenship.” Note: Such a card showing place of birth but not Nationality or Citizenship of the athlete will not be accepted, as place of birth does not provide automatic citizenship in many countries.

The ISA will not accept any other form of government documentation supporting a passport or eligibility of passport to verify nationality. This policy has been updated in the ISA rulebook.

Once a competitor has surfed for a country in any ISA event, he/she generally may not surf for another country at future ISA sanctioned International Events. If an athlete is allowed to represent a second nation based on the conditions set forth in Paragraph b of By-Laws to rule outlined below, he/she may not change back to representing his/her original country.  Special exemptions may be considered, however, after presentation to the Executive Committee at least three (3) months prior to the start of any ISA sanctioned event. Requests for exemption will only be considered if received in writing through the affiliated NGB to the Executive Committee via the ISA office, with certified copies of all relevant documentation (passport, letters from/to National Sports Organizations or Home Affairs Offices, etc) accompanying the representation.  *Please see the ISA rulebook for By-Laws.

Drug Testing
Drug Testing will follow the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) guidelines and will be conducted on or around the final day of competition.  All finalists plus three (3) random tests will be conducted. To check on the updated list of banned substances, go to the WADA website www.wada-ama.org.

If an athlete is required to take medication to treat an illness or condition which happens to fall under the Prohibited List, a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) may give that athlete the authorization to take the needed medicine. Please contact the ISA to submit all TUEs at least 30 days prior to the start of the competition.

Passports & Visas
Please check with your travel agent or your Foreign Affairs Department for requirements.

Travel Vaccines
Please contact your Foreign affairs department for further information.

Travel Insurance
The ISA strongly recommends that each team procures travel insurance (including, but not limited to accident, liability and medical) for all of their participants.

The Republic of Panama is the southernmost country of Central America, bordered to the north by the Caribbean Sea, to the south by the Pacific Ocean, to the east by Colombia and to the west by Costa Rica.  Its early status as a transit country allowed Panama to become a meeting point of cultures from around the globe.

Santa Catalina is a little surf town located in the Veraguas province of Panama, and is home to several hundred people who lead simple lives, many as fishers.

The official Panamanian language is Spanish, but you will also find a lot of people who speak English in Santa Catalina and as well as other areas of Panama.  Balboa is the name given to the official currency of Panama, which is the US dollar.  Panamanian coins are of the same value, size and metal as US coins, so both are frequently used interchangeably.

The country of Panama provides a variety of outdoor entertainment and activities including fishing, surfing, and diving.  In addition to the high quality surf, Isla Coiba is just 40 minutes from Santa Catalina, and the Coiba National Park is located about 25 minutes by charter flight from Panama City or 4 hours by car.  The National Park covers over 430,000 acres, making it one of the largest marine parks in the world.

WEATHER FORECAST

Panama is known to have tropical weather with 2 seasons during the year: Sunny and Rainy. The 2013 World Surfing Games will be taking place during the RAINY season, but it typically does not rain every day so be sure to bring a lot of sunblock.  The air temperature should be in the range of 30° – 35° degrees Celsius/86° – 95° degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and about 26° degrees Celsius/ 78° degrees Fahrenheit at night.

SURF FORECAST

The event has been scheduled to take place in May and the surf should see barrels most of the time.  Santa Catalina will provide a long right with an incredible barrels section. The main wave is located approximately 300 meters from the coast, so you can get there paddling or by boat. It is a rocky break and it is susceptible to sizeable waves in any type of swell coming from the south or southwest.

LODGING

Santa Catalina’s quaint atmosphere provides various accommodation options.  The full list with contact details can be found HERE.  The Host encourages teams to coordinate accommodations directly with the vendor.

HOSTAL OASIS
Jennifer Castro
Cel.: (507)6670 5636

AIR TRAVEL (en español más abajo)

The host recommends COPA, as it is one of the largest airlines that fly regularly into the Panama City Airport.

SPECIAL NOTICE

Name of the Event: Panama Surfing Festival (Reef Classic Panama & Reef ISA World      Surfing Games)

Date of the Event:  4-20 of May 2013

Location of the Event: Panama

Discounts from Central America/ Caribean/ South America/ North America:   10%-Cod #C5379

Reservation Information:Call our central processing office or your local Copa Airlines Travel Agent and inform them of the name and dates of the event. The discount also applies for online purchases; visit www.copaair.com  (Enter the discount code in the box that says “Promo Code”)

The discount is applied to the purchase of your airline ticket based on the price of the ticket at the time of purchase. This promotion is only available to participants in the: “Panama Surfing Festival (Reef Classic Panama & Reef ISA World Surfing Games)”

Note: Present this information as proof of participation in the event. 

 Restrictions: The discount will not apply to ticket that are on sale, first class, nor combined with any other promotion. Valid for public tariffs: T,S,I,Q,U,V,B,N,K,H,M,Y.

 Valid for travel dates:  29 of April to the 25 of May 2013.

 Only valid on Copa Airlines flights (CM) y/o Copa Airlines Colombia (CM*).

 To access the Call Center number and Copa Airlines sales offices go to:

http://www.copaair.com/sites/cc/es/acerca-de-copa-airlines/pages/nuestras-oficinas.aspx

Thank you for preferring Copa Airlines!

Nombre del Evento: Panama Surfing Festival (Reef Classic Panama & Reef ISA World      Surfing Games)

Fecha del Evento: 4-20 de Mayo del 2013

Ciudad del Evento: Panama

Descuento desde Centroamerica/ El Caribe/ Sur America/ Norte America : 10%-Cod #C5379

Información de Reserva:Llame a nuestra central de reservas telefónicas ó contáctese con su oficina local de Ventas de Copa Airlines o Call Center e indíquele la fecha y nombre del evento. Aplica también para las compras por internet a través de nuestro sitio www.copaair.com  (Incluir el código de descuento en la casilla “Promo Code”).

 El descuento aplica en la compra de su pasaje aéreo sobre la tarifa publicada disponible en el momento de la compra. Beneficio sólo valido para los participantes de este evento: “Panama Surfing Festival (Reef Classic Panama & Reef ISA World Surfing Games)”

Nota: Presente esta información como comprobante de participación.  

Restricciones: No aplica sobre tarifas promocionales, Clase Ejecutiva, ni combinadas con alguna otra promoción. Valido para las tarifas publicadas en las clases tarifarias: T,S,I,Q,U,V,B,N,K,H,M,Y.

Valido para viajar entre:  29 de Abril al 25 de Mayo de 2013.

 Válida sólo en los vuelos operados por Copa Airlines (CM) y/o Copa Airlines Colombia (CM*).

 Para tener acceso a los números de Call Center y direcciones de oficinas de Ventas de Copa Airlines acceda a

http://www.copaair.com/sites/cc/es/acerca-de-copa-airlines/pages/nuestras-oficinas.aspx

Gracias por preferir Copa Airlines!

To/From Airport:
The distance between the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City and Santa Catalina is about 5 hours by car or bus.  The host is hoping to coordinate options for teams travelling by bus to Santa Catalina, and this information will be provided as soon as possible.

Teams who wish to stay in Panama City prior to making the trip to the town of Santa Catalina may wish to book lodging at the Euro Hotel or the various hotels that are easily found on the internet (Marriott, Radisson, Le Meridien).

Santa Catalina To/From Contest Site:
The distance between the town of Santa Catalina and the Contest Site is a mere 1-3 minute walk depending on the lodging chosen.

MEALS

The town of Santa Catalina is small and therefore some of the restaurants will most likely fill up quickly with visitors and teams from the event.  The host anticipates providing information for meal plan options, and these details will be made available to teams as they are confirmed.

Teams may also choose to purchase food in the larger cities of Panama City or Santiago prior to making their way to Santa Catalina, and preparing food in the fully equipped kitchens within the lodging selected.

The media exposure this contest can provide you, your NGB and your athletes is absolutely priceless.   Please submit a list of key media contacts in your region to the ISA so that they may receive ISA press releases. We also ask that you forward local media coverage before and after the event to the ISA so we may use it to promote surfing worldwide.  Please contact Carlos Escaba at carlosescaba@isasurf.org.