With the second edition of Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival just a week away from bringing the top-notch adrenaline-pumping surfing action to China, both the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) and International Surfing Association officials are just as excited about the event as the surfers and fans of the sport.
The partnership between the two key bodies overlooking and promoting a sport that is still in the process of getting itself acknowledged as a mainstream sport resulted in a memorable experience last year and there is hardly any reason to believe that their collaboration will fail to bring the same level of thrill and make the same extent of impact this year.
ASP Australasia General Manager Dane Jordan is among the organisers who are struggling to contain their excitement pertaining to the upcoming festival and much-hyped Hainan Classic, the much hyped ASP 4-Star event boasting a hefty prize purse of US$95,000 and coveted ASP World Tour rating points.
“A few years ago I never would have imagined kicking off the Australasian leg of the ASP World Tour in China!” said Jordan. “It’s a very exciting prospect for surf fans, the surfers and people in China. It’s also exciting to be working with the ISA again, last year’s Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival was the first time the ASP and ISA have collaborated on an event together and it’s fantastic for the sport. I can’t wait to get back there.”
The sentiments of the ISA President Fernando Aguerre are no different. Being proud of returning to the “Land of Dragons and Emperors” for the second year in a row to host the Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival, he has claimed with conviction that the level of surfing at during both the ISA China Cup and ASP 4-Star Hainan Classic will be as amazing as last year.
He said that last year, millions of people were exposed to surfing for the first time in their life. This year, both the bodies plan on introducing the sport to an even greater number of people and developing their interest in it.
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