The International Surfing Association (ISA) officially announced on November 12th that the Riviera Nayarit is hosting the 4th World Stand Up Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship, which will be held from May 10-17, 2015.
This will be the first time that Mexico will host this competition and it will be in Sayulita, the Riviera Nayarit’s Surf Capital, as it’s considered Mexico’s SUP community.
“We are delighted that Mexico will host the 2015 ISA World stand up Paddle and Paddleboard Championship in Sayulita,” said ISA President Fernando Aguerre. “It’s the ideal venue for the world’s best SUP Surfers, SUP Racers, and Paddle boarders to gather and compete for Gold.”
It was the Nayarit office of the Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) and the Riviera Nayarit CVB that proposed Sayulita as the host city and brought in the world championship.
“We’re convinced that with this world championship the destination will shine even more on the international stage,” said Marc Murphy, Managing Director of the Riviera Nayarit CVB. “We’re clear that Sayulita is a key component of the positioning of the Riviera Nayarit because of its attraction with the surfers.”
There’s no doubt the participation of the Mexican SUP and Paddleboard team in the first three editions of this championship were a defining factor for it to come to Mexico.
It’s important to point out the Mexican team — which took third place in Peru in 2013 — is made up in its majority by athletes that are from or now live in the Riviera Nayarit.
Over 300 of the top men and women athletes from over 30 countries will compete in 11 different disciplines to win team trophies as well as individual medals.
The tournament will include men’s and women’s SUP Surfing, a SUP Technical Race, a SUP Distance Race, a Paddleboard Technical Race, a Paddleboard Distance Race and a Team Relay Race.
Local SUP Karen Jacobson posted her excitement for the announcement on Facebook and indicates she will be training hard to win the gold in her home country.
The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board sponsored the professional surfer during the Ultimate Showdown Tournament in Hawaii and California. The young athlete represents Puerto Vallarta and Mexico in a series of international competitions and ranks in the world’s top paddleboarders.
Karen, born in Puerto Vallarta, began her career at the age of 13 years old and soon conquered the highest role in SUP in Mexico and is among the top ten paddle surfers worldwide.
We have to go Julia Doyle!