Inaugural Australian Open Of Surfing Ready For Launch
The Hon. George Souris, MP - Minister for Tourism & Major Events, Laura Enever, Renton Millar, Joel Parkinson, Adrian Buchan, Cooper Chapman and Stav and Jake from Bluejuice at today's press conference.
After being absent from the international scene for a number of years the Australian Open Of Surfing will see competitive surfing return to Manly with style and flair. Manly hosted the world surfing titles in 1964 and since then has hosted an array of world-class surfing competitions, but it’s been a few years since an international event has been held at Manly and the Australian Open Of Surfing is sure to make an exciting return to one of Australia’s most famous beaches.
Australian Open Of Surfing is set to feature the best surfers in the world with 13 of the top 34 set to surf in the event alongside a multitude of current and future surfing stars.
Joel Parkinson (AUS), who finished runner-up in the 2011 ASP World Title Race is looking forward to starting his 2012 competitive season at the Australian Open Of Surfing at Manly Beach.
“I’m really looking forward to this event,” Parkinson said. “I haven’t actually competed in a proper ASP World Tour event in Sydney. The last time I competed at Manly I was still in the juniors there was nothing of this size and scale. It will be an interesting week with so much going on and I’m excited to to check it out, I can’t wait for it.”
Adrian Buchan (AUS) is about to start his 7th season competing on the elite ASP World Title Series and will be looking to start the year with a solid result at the Australian Open Of Surfing as it’s one of the few events in his home state of New South Wales.
“We come home from a long year on the road and spend time trying to decompress,” Buchan said. “Now this is where you have to pull it together, dust off the cobwebs and get stuck back into it. It’s really exciting to be able to start the tour in Australia. You know, I spend the first few months of the year watching the tennis and the cricket on the tele, kind of waiting for ‘our’ turn. Now it is our turn and it’s great to be down here at Manly.”
Laura Enever (AUS) is about to enter her second year as a full time competitor on the ASP Women’s World Tour and will be using every ounce of her home town knowledge to help her finish the inaugural Australian Open Of Surfing on a high.
“The last event we had was the US Open at Huntington so we’ve had a huge break,” Enever said. “I know all the girls will be ready, we’ve had months to prepare. Living close by is an advantage, it’s the perfect way to start the year. Being down in Manly is such a good vibe, there’s been some special moments for women’s surfing over the years here and it’s cool now that I get to come down and be a part of it. It should be an amazing week.”
The Honourable George Souris, MP – Minister for Tourism & Major Events was excited to be at the official press launch for this historic event.
“The NSW Government through Destination NSW is proud to be a foundation partner in this brand new global event for Sydney and NSW, The Australian Open of Surfing,” Minister Souris said. “This event brings the best of surf, skate and music to our city, embracing youth culture and promoting the unique energy of Sydney’s outdoor lifestyle. Locals, interstate and international visitors are going to be able to experience an event like never before, including nine days of free entertainment featuring the world’s best surfers, skaters and live music.”
The Hon. Michael Baird, MP – Member for Manly & NSW Treasurer is proud to bring such a new and innovative event to his backyard, Manly.
“We are delighted Manly was chosen as the Sydney home of this new major event,” Minister Baird said. “It will re-affirm Manly’s position on the global surfing circuit. As the Member for Manly I can confirm Manly has the best of Sydney’s beach culture and Sydney Harbour, and a vibrant food and wine scene. I’m looking forward to a week of action and the imminent arrival of one of the biggest weekends Manly has seen in a long time with DJs and bands such as The Living End and Sneaky Sound System performing.”
The Australian Open Of Surfing at Manly Beach will also feature skating competitions and demos, music concerts, athlete signing sessions and much more. The event is free for the public to view in person and live on the internet via australianopenofsurfing.com
IMPORTANT EVENT INFO
The cigarette and alcohol-free event is expected to welcome more than 100,000 people to Manly, the location of the very first World Surfing Championships in 1964 and the first Australian beach to legalise day-time swimming in 1904.
Destination NSW, along with major event partners Hurley and Billabong, expect the Australian Open of Surfing to inject more than $6 million into the local community.
The Australian Open of Surfing is made possible with the support of the following event partners: Destination NSW, Events NSW, Manly Council, Sony, Blackberry, Monster Energy, Fuel TV, Channel [V], The Manly Daily, Surfing World, Reef, Skullcandy, ASP Australasia and Surfing NSW.
Comments
Category: All ASP News, ASP Star News
awesome post! Keep up the good work!
why did the asp removed the link for the NOronha comp???
aren´t the primes the next real thing befor the wt´s???
aren´t the waves pumping there???? yesterday there were 3 10´s.
Hey William – the event was unable to provide a reliable webcast so the button was removed from ASPWorldTour.com. The event organizers apologize for the letdown.