ISA WORLD BODYBOARD CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINS SATURDAY | 2014 ISA World BodyBoarding Championship - Iquique

Chile’s National Team Was Joined By Local Chilean Dignitaries, Plus The Country’s Top Media Outlets At The Official Press Conference

The following local Chilean dignitaries were present at the Press Conference of the ISA World Bodyboard Championship: (from left to right) Sport Director of the Municipality of Iquique Ricardo Valles, President of the Municipal Council of Iquique Mauricio Soria, President of the Chilean Surfing Federation Juan Agustin Echeverria, Mayor of Iquique Jorge Soria, Regional Secretary of Sport Johann Vieira Pineda, and Chile National Team members Paloma Freyggang and Gabriel Brantes. Photo: ISA/Rommel Gonzales

The National Chilean Bodyboard Team was presented the official team uniform by the local Chilean dignitaries. Photo: ISA/Rommel Gonzales

The 2014 ISA World Bodyboard Championship begins Saturday with the Opening Ceremony featuring the Parade of Nations and Sands of the World Ceremony. All 13 National Delegations will gather and parade down Iquique’s iconic “Baquedano” street and into the “Plaza Arturo Prat” square in the center of the city, in front of thousands of local spectators.

During the Opening Ceremony, each National Delegation 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.

On Friday, the official press conference of the ISA World Bodyboard Championship took place in the historic national monument “Salon Luis Rojas Pino” in the “Ex Aduanas” building. This classical-colonial structure served as the customs center in the late 1800’s in Iquique. Over a dozen of Iquique and Chile’s leading TV, Newspaper, and Radio media outlets were present.

The historic national monument “Salon Luis Rojas Pino” in the “Ex Aduanas” building, where the ISA World Bodyboard Championship Press Conference took place. Photo: ISA/Rommel Gonzales

In attendance were the Mayor of Iquique Jorge Soria, the Regional Secretary of Sport Johann Vieira Pineda, the President of the Chilean Surfing Federation Juan Agustin Echeverria, the President of the Municipal Council of Iquique Mauricio Soria, the Sport Director of the Municipality of Iquique Ricardo Valles, plus Chile National Team members Paloma Freyggang and Gabriel Brantes.

The ISA President Fernando Aguerre, who was not able to attend the competition in Chile due his attendance at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Monaco, Italy to continue advocating for Surfing’s inclusion in the Olympics said:

“I want to thank the Chilean Government, to the public and private sectors, especially Mr. Mitchel Cartes, Intendant of the Tarapacá Region; Mr. Jorge Soria, Mayor of the City of Iquique; and Mr. Agustín Echeverría, President of the Chilean Surf Federation. Without their collaboration and efforts, this World Championship wouldn’t be possible.”

“It’s an honor to be in Chile for the first time in ISA history, a country that is dear to my heart, and of course we hope that this is the first of a long series of ISA World Championships to visit the beautiful waves that are here year round across the whole country.”

The Parade of Nations and the Opening Ceremony will begin at 12:00pm. Follow all of the action through the event website www.ISAWBC.com