First Ever ASP Men’s World Tour Event Set To Go On Hainan Island China
Hainan Island, China (January 6 2012): AN HISTORIC occasion is set to unfold in the coming week with the inaugural running of the Hainan Classic, a 4 Star Rated Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Men’s World Tour event.
This will be the first ever ASP Men’s event in China and this exciting expansion has attracted a superb quality field of surfers across 16 international surfing regions including Australia, South Africa, USA, France, New Zealand, Ireland, Peru, Argentina, Japan, Portugal, Venezuela, Hawaii, Ecuador, Indonesia, Taiwan and China.
Regional ASP Australasian General Manager Dane Jordan has been actively involved in the step-by-step development of professional surfing in China over the past 12 months.
“We began ASP’s official involvement in China by running the successful Swatch Girls Pro China event last November and following that achievement and with further understanding of the waves and swell patterns of this area we have now expanded to this ASP Men’s Star event, thanks to our partnership with the International Surfing Association (ISA)” said Jordan.
“The field is outstanding and includes former elite ASP World Title Series surfers Chris Ward, Nathaniel Curran and Gabe Kling (USA), Marlon Lipke (Germany), Nic Muscroft and Blake Thornton (AUS), Royden Bryson and Greg Emslie (Sth Africa) along with emerging talented surfers from across the world.
“Our research indicates the winter months, in particular January is prime time for the ideal peeling left point break at Riyuewan Bay and we are confident of running a great event in the coming week and will crown the first ever ASP Men’s World Tour event winner in China.”
The Hainan Classic is a part of the Hainan Surfing Festival presented by Quiksilver which includes the first ever International Surfing Association China Cup, a unique team’s event that will see surfers competing under a team’s format for their nations.
The China Cup teams event will begin on Sunday January 8 and run through to Tuesday January 10 while the Hainan Classic begins on Wednesday January 11 and has an event window running through to Saturday January 14.
Surfline are the official event forecasting agency and have issued a positive outlook for waves through the entire period.
Comments
Category: All ASP News, ASP Star News
As with all world championships, in all sports: The world’s best surfers deserve
the best venues! Compare the locations, the perfection, the size & power,
that was surfed regularly a few years back to this year & last year
(except Chopes & Hawaii). Are we going backwards?
Am I alone in this or will we see the world’s best surfing Dutch, German & Russian
world class big waves soon? I hear The Dead Sea pumps too…
Please, let the quality of waves, not where boards are made, influence decisions!
I understand that the insatiably thirsty ‘business’ of surfing seeks the Chinese market. So too do illegal Rhinoceros poachers. The ASP should be aware that in violation of CITES, Hainan Island is being used to farm Rhino horn. The public will become aware of this, and it will be embarassing for the ASP to be seen to be supporting Chinese industry and government when they so openly abuse both human and animal rights. Free Tibet. Save the Rhinoceros.