Members of Mexico’s National Team Were Joined by Mexican Surfing Federation President, Local Dignitaries, Organizers, Media Outlets at the Official Press Conference
The 2015 ISA World StandUp Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship (WSUPPC) Presented by Hotel Kupuri is set to begin Sunday with the Opening Ceremony that will feature the Parade of Nations and the Sands of the World Ceremony. All 27 National Teams and more than 300 participants will gather to parade down the streets of the quaint, coastal village of Sayulita, Riviera Nayarit, Mexico in front of thousands of local spectators — a true celebration, rich with culture, to set the stage for the week of international competition ahead.
Friday, the press conference of the ISA WSUPPC took place in the official host city, Sayulita, at the beachfront Don Pedro’s Restaurant where representatives of Mexican media outlets were present. In attendance were President of the Mexican Surfing Federation Luis Skeen de Alba, Tourism Secretary of the State of Nayarit Catalina Ruiz Ruiz, Director General of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Riviera Nayarit Marc Murphy, President of the Sayulita Surf Club Rodrigo Peña, Mexican National Team Coach Ryan Helm with team athletes Javier Jimenez and Alejandra Brito, as well as the 2013 and 2014 ISA WSUPPC SUP Technical Race Gold Medalist Casper Steinfath from Denmark.
ISA President Fernando Aguerre opened the press conference via voice recording saying, “I am very happy that we will have the first-ever ISA World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship in the history of Mexico. I have been in Sayulita in the past and I know that it’s a spectacular and special place. I have no doubt that it will be an unforgettable event with excellent level of competition.”
Aguerre continued, “I would like to give special thanks to the organizers, the public sector of Nayarit and Sayulita, and the Mexican Surfing Federation. I hope that everyone leaves with a very special memory of Sayulita, Nayarit and Mexico, when the event finishes as we leave as ambassadors of this beautiful country. I wish the best of luck to all of the competitors. Remember that a few will go back home with a Gold Medal, but all of you are already champions because you are members of your National SUP and Paddleboard Teams.”
President of the Mexican Surfing Federation Luis Skeen de Alba followed saying, “Thank you to the ISA for the trust in the Mexican Surfing Federation to organize the first ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship in the history of Mexico. Our commitment with the ISA is that this will be the first of many events in the ISA World Championship Series that is hosted in Mexico.”
Tourism Secretary of the State of Nayarit Catalina Ruiz Ruiz added, “I want to congratulate and thank everyone for turning the eyes of the world to Mexico and especially our state of Nayarit. I hope everyone that is visiting our state for the first time can experience the slogan we use here, without a doubt this is the ‘Paradise of the Pacific.’”
The live webcast of the Opening Ceremony featuring the Parade of Nations and the Sands of the World Ceremony will begin at 5:00pm local time and can be viewed on http://isawsuppc.com/live.
Here is the schedule:
Saturday, 5:00pm Sayulita, Mexico
Saturday, 3:00pm West Coast USA
Saturday, 11:00pm Western Europe
Sunday, 8:00am Sydney, Australia
