South Africa among 23 Countries to compete at ISA SUP World Champs

23 National Teams and Over 150 Competitors will gather in Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Miraflores, Lima, Peru, February 20, 2013- The International Surfing Association (ISA) is proud to announce all the teams and athletes that will be competing in Miraflores, Lima, Peru for the 2013 ISA World StandUp Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship.

The 23 National Teams that have confirmed their participation include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, El Salvador, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tahiti, USA and Venezuela.

Between all the National Teams, 150 athletes will fill over 200 slots competing in the disciplines of SUP Surfing, SUP Racing, and Prone Paddle in both Women’s and Men’s divisions.

The defending Champions from the inaugural 2012 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship, Team Australia, shown here with ISA President Fernando Aguerre (far left) and Club Waikiki President Jose Osterling (far right) as they lift the Club Waikiki-Peru Team Trophy, will be back this year in full force featuring the defending Champions Jamie Mitchell, Brad Gaul, and Jordan Mercer. Photo: ISA/Marotta

“There are only a few days to go before the Opening Ceremony and the 2013 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship begin. All National Teams have been announced and the athletes have begun to arrive in the beautiful coastal city of Miraflores, Peru,” remarked ISA President Fernando Aguerre. “The SUP and Paddleboard racers will be practicing on the event race courses, and the SUP surfers will be practicing in the long waves of La Pampilla beach in preparation for the World Championship that begins with the Opening Ceremony on Sunday and the competition on Monday. Clean ocean surfing conditions and waves in the chest to head-high range in Peru’s warm weather are welcoming the delegations. As I like to remind all athletes, while a few competitors will go home with medals, all of them are already winners, as they are surfing as members of their National Surfing Teams.”

In the coming days, La Pampilla Beach in Miraflores, Lima, Peru will gather the best SUP Surfers and Racers and Paddlboarders with over 150 athletes and 23 countries from all over the world. Photo: ISA/Marotta

The Championship will feature the world’s best SUP Surfers and Racers, and Paddleboarders including the defending Team Champions, Australia.  Also, returning to defend his Gold Medal in the SUP Distance Race will be Ten-time Molokai-to-Oahu Paddleboarding Champion, Jamie Mitchell, plus 2012 Gold Medalist in the Paddleboard Long Distance and Technical Races, Jordan Mercer. France’s Antoine Delpero will return to defend his Gold Medal in Men’s SUP Surfing, as well as many new countries that will look to cause major upsets.

The 2013 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship will officially begin on Sunday, February 24^th with the Opening Ceremony, Parade of Nations and Sands of the World Ceremony that will be held at Lima’s Parque Kennedy. The following day, the first day of competition will kick-off at 8am local time.

The event will be webcast live on www.isawsuppc.com