10 Things You Need To Know About The 2014 ISA World Bodyboard Championship in Iquique, Chile

From December 6th to the 14th, Chile will become the gathering place of the world's best Bodyboarders, who will compete in the ISA World Bodyboard Championship (WBC) at Punta 1, in the city of Iquique known as "The Land of Champions," in the beautiful country of Chile.

12 countries from around the world will soon arrive to Chile, its welcoming people and incredible Boadyboarding waves.

Here are the 10 things you need to know about the 2014 ISA World Bodyboard Championship:

1. The Event

The 2014 ISA WBC is a competition for the world's best Bodyboarders. The ISA WBC will gather the best athletes in Punta 1, in Iquique, Chile, from December 6 to the 14.

2. The History

Bodyboarding has traditionally been a division of the ISA World Surfing Games, which has crowned Open Men’s World Bodyboard Champions since 1988 and Open Women’s World Bodyboard Champion since 1996. Due to the growing popularity of the Bodyboard division and the increase in participating athletes, the ISA decided to organize its own World Championship in 2011.

The ISA WBC was established in 2011 in the Canary Islands, Spain. In 2012 and 2013, the competition was hosted in Playa Parguito, Venezuela. For the first time ever, Chile will host an ISA World Championship with the 2014 ISA WBC.

The ISA WBC, since it’s inception, has been crowning World Champions in the following individual divisions: Open Men, Open Women, Junior Under-18 Boys, and Open Dropknee. Additionally, in 2011, the ISA Aloha Cup, a tag-team format competition, was included as part of the event. The Junior Under-18 Girls was also added for the 2012 edition to give an opportunity to the young women that practice this sport.

3. Past ISA WBC Champions

These are the past ISA WBC Champions:

Team Champion:

2011 France

2012 Brazil

2013 Brazil

Open Men:

2011 Pier Louis-Costes (France)

2012 Eder Luciano (Brazil)

2013 Eder Luciano (Brazil)

Open Women:

2011 Isabela Sousa (Brazil)

2012 Sari Ohhara (Japan)

2013 Neymara Carvalho (Brazil)

Junior U-18 Boys:

2011 Eduardo Rodríguez (Spain)

2012 Maxime Castillo (France)

2013 Jefferson Bustos (Costa Rica)

Junior U-18 Girls:

2012 Shiori Okazawa (Japan)

2013 Glorielys Oropeza (Venezuela)

Open Dropknee:

2011 Ardiel Jiménez (Spain)

2012 Iain Campbell (South Africa)

2013 Luis Rodriguez (Venezuela)

4. The Competition

The World Championship is a team competition with individual Open Men, Open Women, Junior U-18 Boys, Junior U-18 Girls, Open Dropknee, and the ISA Aloha Cup.

Each National Team consists of seven athletes competing in the following categories: Open Men (3), Open Women (1), Junior Under-18 Boys (1) and Junior Under-18 Girls (1), Open Dropknee (1).

The ISA WBC gathers the best Bodyboarders to compete for their National Teams in an "Olympic-style" event, where the team with the most amount of points, according to each individual division placing, will be crowned Team Champion.

5. The Prize

The surfers compete for Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Copper Medals, the World Team Championship, and the honor of representing their respective countries.

6. The Location

This year, the event will be held at Punta 1, which is located in the north end of Cavancha Beach in the city of Iquique. This city is considered the Bodyboard capital of the country due to its perfect Bodyboarding waves.

The temperature in Iquique is warm during the time of this competition, around 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit). The wind is not known for being very strong during these dates. The water temperature is about 18 to 19 degrees Celsius (64-66 degrees Fahrenheit), depending on swell. Colder water comes from South swells and warmer from North swells. A 3/2 mm wetsuit is recommended.

7. The Wave

The wave at Punta 1 is a rock bottom, right point break. A strong and potent tube connects all the way to the beach’s shoreline. It is very shallow, no more than 1.5 meters deep, depending on the tide. Best swell direction is north or northwest, but works perfectly always with a south swell.

Waves can range from 1 meter to over 10 meters; the quantity and quality of waves in Iquique are some of the best in the world.

8. The Schedule

The fourth edition of the ISA World Bodyboard Championship will officially open on December 6 with the traditional ISA Opening Ceremony, which will include the Parade of the Nations and Sands of the World Ceremony.

The Parade of the Nations is a colorful and energy-filled event, complete with teams chanting, waving flags and the cheering of the locals who come out to watch the spectacle.

The Sands of the World Ceremony symbolizes the true fraternal spirit that bonds together all members of the global surfing tribe. The union of the countries of the world in this emotional ceremony is symbolized through the mixing of the sands from the beaches of every participating country, showcasing the ISA’s desire for a better and peaceful world through surfing.

Important Dates:

Friday, December 5 – Official Press Conference

Saturday, December 6 – Opening Ceremony- Parade of the Nations and Sands of the World Ceremony.

Sunday, December 7 – Competition Begins

Saturday, December 14 – Final day of competition, Awards Presentation and Closing Ceremony

(Schedule is subject to change)

9. The host and support

The ISA WBC is organized by Chilean Surfing Federation (FECHSURF). The ISA WBC has been possible thanks to the support from the City of Iquique and its Mayor Jorge Soria.

10. The Mission

The ISA’s mission is to develop the sport of Surfing, which includes Bodyboarding in Chile and around the world. This is accomplished through annual World Championships, membership development, educational programs, scholarship distribution and working towards Olympic Surfing.

Visit the official event website www.isawbc.com where you will soon find photos, videos and the live webcast beginning on Saturday, December 6 with the Opening Ceremony. Competition begins on Sunday, December 7.

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