Seven things you should know about the greatest World Cup in history
San Marcos University presents the news of the day.
Costa Rica will seek to make history at the 2019 ISA World Surfing Games.
This coming weekend will mark the start of one of the most significant world championships in the history of world surfing, as it will be the first opportunity for much of the world to identify those who qualify in the third hierarchical order of importance for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
This world championship will be held in Miyazaki, Japan from September 7th to 15th and will feature the best surfers in the world.
Here are seven facts shared by the International Surfing Association (ISA) that you should know for these competitions:
1. Qualification for Tokyo 2020
The 2019 World Surfing Games will be the historic event where, for the first time, athletes will qualify directly for Tokyo 2020.
Qualification will be at the continental level, with the best male and female athletes from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Europe earning spots in the Olympic Games. (The Americas' spots were decided at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.)
Following the WSG 2019 and the Pan American Games, the qualification will be completed at the World Surf League World Championship Tour and the ISA World Surfing Games 2020.
2. Elite talent
The best surfers in the world are ready to compete in the WSG, forming part of the strongest National Surfing Teams in history.
Kelly Slater (USA), Carissa Moore (USA), Julian Wilson (AUS), Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Jordy Smith (RSA), Gabriel Medina (BRA), and Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) will seek to bring the Gold to their nations.
3. Record participation
Riding the Olympic wave of momentum that has fostered the growth of surfing on every continent of the world, a record total of 55 nations will compete in 2019 - eight more than the previous record of 47, set at the 2017 edition. Biarritz, France.
240 surfers under their national flags, including a record 103 women (43% of participants) which surpasses the record for female participation set in the 2018 edition.
4. New nations
Among the 55 participating nations are four new ones that will be competing in the WSG for the first time in history: American Samoa, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
5. Gold medalists returning to competition
Both individual Gold Medalists of 2018, Sally Fitzgibbons from Australia and Santiago Muñiz Argentina's players return to Japan to defend their titles.
Team Japan made history in 2018 by winning their first Team Gold Medal and have registered a strong team to defend it. Kanoa Igarashi , Shun Murakami , e Hiroto Ohhara , Mahina Maeda , Sara Wakita , and Shino Matsuda will surf for the host nation.
6. The story
Originally called the International Surfing Federation World Championships, the World Surfing Games crowned the first World Surfing Champions at Manly Beach, Australia in 1964. The WSG has crowned champions ever since, holding competitions on all five continents of the world.
The WSG was held in Japan in 1990 and 2018. 2019 will be the third time the event is held in the land of the rising sun.
7. The schedule
This is the tentative schedule for the event:
September 7
- Parade of Nations and Opening Ceremony
- Possible start of the Women's Open category
September 8th and 9th
- Open Women
September 10th
- Aloha Cup (to be determined)
- Open Women
- Open Men's Category Start
September 11
- Women's Open Finals
- Men's Open competition continues
September 15th
- Men's Open Finals
- Closing Ceremony