2014 ISA WORLD SUP AND PADDLEBOARD CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINS SATURDAY

2014 ISA WORLD SUP AND PADDLEBOARD CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINS SATURDAY

2nd May 2014

 Leer Noticia en Español

Nicaragua’s National Team Was Joined By The ISA President, Minister Of Tourism, Local Organizers, And The Country’s Main Media Outlets At The Official Press Conference

ISA President Fernando Aguerre (on screen) was joined by Nicaragua’s Minister of Tourism Mayra Salinas (fourth from right), Local Event Organizer Lucy Valenti (third from left), Mayor of Granada Julia Mena (fourth from left), Mayor of Diriamba (third from right), Nicaragua Team Manager Ronaldo Urroz (far right), Nicaragua Team Members Norwin Estrella and Ana Urroz (far left) and ISA Gold Medalist Casper Steinfath (second from right) at the official press conference. Photo: ISA/Michael Tweddle

The 2014 ISA World Standup Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship (WSUPPC) begins Saturday with the Opening Ceremony featuring the Parade of Nations and Sands of the World Ceremony. All 28 National Teams and over 250 Athletes and Team Officials will gather and parade down the streets of the historic, colonial city of Granada in front of thousands of local spectators.

During the Opening Ceremony, each participating nation comes to the stage waving their national flag while pouring sand from their local beach into a glass container symbolizing the peaceful gathering of nations through the love of surfing.

Friday, the official press conference of the ISA WSUPPC took place in the official host city, Granada, where over 50 representatives of Nicaragua’s leading TV and print media outlets were present. In attendance were ISA President Fernando Aguerre, Ministry of Tourism Mayra Salinas, Local Event Organizer Lucy Valenti, Mayor of Granada Julia Mena, Mayor of Diriamba Fernando Baltodano, Nicaragua Team Manager Ronaldo Urroz, Nicaragua National Team Members Norwin Estrella and Ana Urroz, and 2013 ISA WSUPPC Gold Medalist Casper Steinfath from Denmark.

The first ever Nicaraguan SUP and Paddleboard Team was present at the Official Press Conference of the 2014 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship. Photo: ISA/Michael Tweddle

“It is with great happiness that I welcome the first Nicaraguan National Team in the history of the ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship; it’s a real honor. I want all of the team members and coaches to realize that you are making sport history in Nicaragua,” noted ISA President Fernando Aguerre. “Nicaragua is a pioneer because it’s the first time that an ISA World Championship will be held at both the ocean and lake. I want to thank everyone for their support and wish the best of success to all of the athletes.”

“For Nicaragua, it brings great satisfaction, pride, and happiness to welcome more than 220 athletes from 28 countries,” remarked Executive President of INTUR (Ministry of Tourism) Mayra Salinas. “For us, it’s an extraordinary opportunity, not only for Tourism promotion of the country at an international level, but also to showcase the incredibly rich natural resources we have in all of our beaches.”

“I would like to invite the whole country of Nicaragua to enjoy a World Championship of amazing quality. Since we started hosting ISA World Championships three years ago, it has positioned Nicaragua as a world-wide leader in surf,” said Local Organizer Lucy Valenti.

The live webcast of the Parade of Nations and the Opening Ceremony will begin at 3:30pm, local time and can be viewed onhttp://isawsuppc.com/live/.

Here is the schedule:

Saturday, 3:30pm Granada, Nicaragua
Saturday, 2:30pm West Coast USA
Saturday, 11:30pm Western Europe
Sunday, 7:30am Sydney, Australia

Share this article