Press Release:
Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival Presented by Quiksilver
January 7, 2012
Wanning, Hainan Island, China
Local government authorities, surfers and sponsors joined the ISA President for the Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival Presented by Quiksilver official press conference, today at the 6-star Le Meridien Hotel.
The main topic was the opening of the Festival, which begins competition on Sunday, January 8. The participants all agreed on the relevance to the country and the global surfing community, of having this ISA groundbreaking surfing event in the world’s most populated country.
Dignitaries present to speak with the more than 50 press on hand were: ISA President Fernando Aguerre; Womei Media CEO, Mr. Yang Dunhao; President of Quiksilver Asia-Pacific, Greg Healey; Deputy Director of Hainan Sports Bureau, Mr. Chen Yajun; Ms. Liu Bei, a representative from Headquarters of the Agriculture Bank of China; former ASP World Tour surfer, Cory Lopez (USA); former ISA gold medalist, Pauline Ado (FRA); and ISA junior gold medalist, Cristobal de Col (PER).
“This is a 3-year process that has finally come together – it was a dream, then a plan, and now a reality,“ said President Aguerre of the eight-day Festival. “We are bringing surfing and the aloha spirit of the sport to China.”
Turning Aguerre’s dream into a reality required partnering with a major media presence in China, and Womei Media proved to be the best organization for the job.
“Womei thinks surfing has a great future in China,” said Mr. Yang Dunhao, CEO of Womei Media, “not just as a sport, but for the lifestyle and the environmental awareness it can bring.”
The other valuable component in promoting a major event in China has been the association with the world’s biggest surf brand, Quiksilver.
“We really want to promote the lifestyle of surfing and all the positives that come with it,” said Greg Healey, the President of Quiksilver Asia-Pacific. “One of the great benefits of working at Quiksilver is that we get to promote a lifestyle we love and live everyday.”
With competition in the ISA China Cup ready to begin, the Official Forecaster, Surfline.com is predicting increasing swell and offshore winds throughout the contest, which has the surfers, coaches and everyone involved with the Festival anxious for the first heat horn. The surfers are excited, while they also grasp the magnitude of being involved in the biggest surfing event ever to come to China.
“This is a very exciting event for all of us. I love competing in ISA event. Competing for your country is the best,” said World Tour competitor Pauline Ado, who is surfing for Team France. “We never thought we’d be competing in an event in China. We’re honored to be part of such a historical happening.”
The Parade of the Nations and Sand of the World Ceremony will take place at the Le Meridien Hotel, on January 7, at 5:30pm local time (1:30am PST and 4:30am EST).
About the International Surfing Association
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running Open Division World Championships since 1964, Junior World Championships since 1980, and Masters World Championships since 2007.
The ISA also sanctions the World Kneeboard Titles and the Tandem Surfing World Title, and the first stand-alone World Bodyboard Championship in 2011, and the first World Standup Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship will be held in 2012. ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies of 70 countries on five continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. It is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (Argentina), first elected President in 1994 in Rio de Janeiro and re-elected seven times since. The ISA´s three Vice-Presidents are Alan Atkins (AUS), Karín Sierralta (PER) and Debbie Beacham (USA).
For more on Womei Media and Quiksilver, please see page 2…
About Womei Media
Womei Media is a complete media group with headquarters in Beijing, China. Womei Media consists of a sports marketing division that is dedicated to introducing new and exciting sports to the Chinese people by organizing and promoting major sporting events throughout the country.
Womei Media is an advertising agency for CCTV, China´s largest national TV network. The company also publishes and distributes print magazines, and it is developing a chain of movie theaters throughout China. Womei Media is the primary Chinese commercial agent of the ISA (International Surfing Association), UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale), and the National Basketball Association´s Houston Rockets.
About Quiksilver
Quiksilver, Inc. (NYSE:ZQK) is the world´s leading outdoor sports lifestyle company, which designs, produces and distributes a diversified mix of branded apparel, footwear, accessories, snowboards and related products.The company´s apparel and footwear brands represent a casual lifestyle for young-minded people that connect with its boardriding culture and heritage.
The reputation of Quiksilver´s brands is based on outdoor action sports. The company´s Quiksilver, Roxy, DC, Lib Tech and Hawk brands are synonymous with the heritage and culture of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding.
The company´s products are sold in over 90 countries in a wide range of distribution, including surf shops, skate shops, snow shops, its proprietary Boardriders Club shops and Quiksilver company-owned retail stores, other specialty stores and select department stores. Quiksilver´s corporate and Americas´ headquarters are in Huntington Beach, California, while its European headquarters are in St.Jean de Luz, France, and its Asia/Pacific headquarters are in Torquay, Australia. www.quiksilver.com
