The Arugam Bay waves will once again come alive with excitement when almost 100 professional surfers from 19 countries compete at the SriLankan Airlines Pro Surfing 2011 take place from August 30 to September 4. Arugam Bay, famed around the globe as one of the most exotic beaches and its high-tides that makes surfing competitive will see top class surfers from the USA, Argentina, Peru, New Zealand, Australia and Japan flock.
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| Dane Jordan |
The SriLankan Pro Surfing 2011 conducted in the southeast coastal beach for the second successive year is conducted by the Australasias Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP). This year’s contest has been upgraded to a world class event when two competitions combine together for the first time.
Instead of last year’s 6-star Men’s event this year the organizers have come out with a 6-star Women’s Championship and a Men’s World Longboard Title Championship which attracts more competitors than the previous year.
“ASP’s motto is to put the world’s best surfers to the world’s best waves. With the success of last year’s competition, we the ASP will conduct two world class events which will give professional surfers from around the globe an opportunity to fight the waves at Arugam Bay. Surfing has a proven track record and Arugam Bay has already gained recognition as a perfect surfing location,” stated Dane Jordon, ASP’s Contest Director.
Both competitions will promise the surfers with ASP star points which will help in their world rankings and a pool cash award of US$ 145000. Local surfers too will have the opportunity to obtain two wild card entrees for respective competition which will be issued after trials assisted by the ASP.
“Ten selected local surfers will be trained by international coaches not only on surfing but also on how to conduct a competition professionally. Seeing professional surfers perform will be also a good experience but perfect training could see a local surfer in the professional circuit very soon. This is one of our ambitions through this programme,” Jordon added.
SriLankan Airlines is expected to spend around SL rupees 30 million for the entire event which runs for six continuous days. SriLankan Airlines conducted the pro surfing event for four years in Maldives in association with ASP before moving the competition to Arugam Bay last year with the dawn of peace. In addition the sponsors have conducted contests with Japan and the British Pro Surfing Associations at surfing points in Arugam Bay and Hikkaduwa before drafting this major event. Other sponsors of the event are Sri Lanka Tourism, Lanka SportReizen, Etisalat, Lufthansa Technik, Swatch and Arugam-Bay beachwear.
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