343 U-18 surfers to participate in the Parade of Nations and Sands of the World on Saturday at Vissla ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Huntington Beach
Tune in live on www.isasurf.org at 10am PST
The 2019 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship presented by Visit Huntington beach is set to kick off on Saturday, October 26 as 343 surfers from a record-matching 44 nations are ready to embark on their journeys for Gold Medals.
The Opening Ceremony, featuring the festive Parade of Nations and unique Sands of the World, will inaugurate the competition at 10am at Main St. and Pier Plaza in ‘Surf City USA’.
The Parade of Nations will feature all of the record 44 nations marching down Main St. in displays of national pride, showcasing Surfing’s youthful energy to the world. The Sands of the World Ceremony, which will follow, is a significant moment in all ISA Global Events where a member from each team pours sand from their local beaches into a container, symbolizing the peaceful gathering of nations of the world through surfing.
The event will be broadcast live on www.isasurf.org.
All medaling nations from the 2018 edition, which also took place in Huntington Beach, will be present in 2019. Japan (Gold), USA (Silver), Australia (Bronze), and Hawaii (Copper) are the returning medalists looking reclaim their spots on the podium.
Team France, the 2016 Gold Medalist and 2018 fifth place finisher, will look to regain a spot on the podium.
Team Peru’s Girls U-18 surfer and Panamerican Women’s Gold Medalist Daniella Rosas, said:
“Winning the ISA World Juniors is a dream of all young surfers in the world. It means everything to me. I’ve already been dreaming about it for a few years.
“This event will help our team expand our surfing a ton and will give us a lot of confidence that we can perform among the world’s best.
“As a team, finishing in the top eight would be a great result. Personally, I would like to make the Girls U-18 Final and win Gold.”
Team Japan’s 2018 Boys U-18 Gold Medalist, Keanu Kamiyama, said:
“Personally, I just want to do my best surfing. As a team, we think teamwork is the best path to success and we will do our best to defend the Gold Medal.
“Last year I feel that I was a bit lucky winning the Gold, so this year I want to prove myself. A good result again in 2019 will give me more confidence competing on the WSL Qualifying Series next year and launching my career as a professional.”
ISA President Fernando Aguerre, said:
“Another historic edition of the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship is set to get underway at the iconic surf spot of Huntington Beach Pier.
“Since Surfing’s Olympic inclusion, we have been telling the competitors in this event that among them are future Olympians. For a few junior surfers from Japan and Peru, that dream is nearly a reality as they have earned provisional qualification, the Olympic dream coming full circle with the youth of the sport.
“The world’s best have asserted themselves at a young age through this World Championship, and surely the Gold Medalists that we crown at the end of the competition will become names to remember for years to come.”
The 2019 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship will be broadcast live October 26 – November 3 on isasurf.org.
The event schedule is as follows*:
October 26 – Opening Ceremony 10:00am – 12:00pm; Parade of Nations down Main St. and Sands of the World Ceremony at Pier Plaza
October 26 – Potential start to competition, 3pm on the south side of Huntington Beach Pier
October 27 – November 3 – Competition on the south side of Huntington Beach Pier, 7:30am – 5pm
November 3 – Closing Ceremony at Pier Plaza following the close of competition
*Subject to changes. Pacific Standard Time.