Costa Rica has been chosen as the host of the most important surfing tournament on the planet. The Costa Rican Surfing Federation (FSC) informed it will host the 2009 International Surfing Association’s (ISA) World Surfing Games (WSG), which will be sponsored by Billabong.
Jaco Beach, on the Central Pacific, will be the epicenter of world surfing, as a record-breaking 40 countries are expected to attend.
Cos Rica beat out favored candidates, including Brazil and South Africa.
Costa Rica’s selection will be made official a this years World Surfing Games, which will be held in Portugal next October.
According to a communiqué by FSC, organizers chose Costa Rica, among other reasons, because of the organization capabilities the local surfing federation has demonstrated, and the fact that the Ticos have been present in the past few world games with full teams. Additionally, Costa Rica’s location makes it convenient for many delegations from the Americas to take part in this event for the first time. And, of course, the quality of the country’s waves played an important role in the decision, as Costa Rica has become a favorite surfing spot in recent times.
According to data from the Costa Rican Sports Institute, an estimated 20 percent of the 2 million people who visit Costa Rica every year come here attracted by the country’s surfing.
The Costa Rica games will beheld between July 31 and Aug. 9 of next year, a week after the conclusion of the U.S. Open in California, which gathers hundreds of the world’s best surfers. The athletes will be traveling then to Costa Rica to join their national teams.
“Being the host of the World Open Games is the best thing that can happen to a country surfing-wise, plus it will help as tourism promotion because of the millions of people around the world who will be following the competition,” said Jose Ureña, FSC president. “Taking advantage of the games to promote the country will be very important, so that surfers from all over the world will get to know even more what Costa Rica has to offer as one of the best 10 surfing destinations in the globe.”
The competition will be broadcast live over the Internet to an estimated 80 million people around the world, thanks to the sponsorship of Billabong.
The competition will be held at Jaco’s Hermosa Beach, in front of the Hotel Terrazas del Pacifico. The time of the year chosen for the event is the best as far as waves in this Central Pacific tourist hotspot.
Meanwhile, the Municipality of Garabito, together with the Jaco Pro-Culture and Development Association, will take advantage of hosting these games to launch a marketing campaign that seeks to position Jaco as one of the world’s top destinations for surfing.
The campaign will be conducted under the slogan, “Jaco, Land of Adventures and Surf City.”
This campaign will be deployed both in Costa Rica and abroad, and it will also exploit the influx of surfing lovers during the event and the international coverage the event will receive.
