Thursday, March 31, 2011

Kiteboarding Championships in Morocco


The second stage of the 2011 Kiteboarding World Cup kicked off on Tuesday night in Dakhla with the participation of over 70 international riders and 10 Moroccan atheletes.
The five-day contest for freestyle and wave events is held under the patronage of HM King Mohammed VI and is organized in collaboration with the Professional Kitesurf Riders Association (PKRA).


Notable attendees of the event included 2011 world champions Australian Andy Yates, Dutch Youri Zoon and Spaniard Alex Paster in addition to accomplished female kiteboarders Spanish Gisela Pilido , five-time world champion, the Polish Ania Grwelinska , 2008 world champion and the Italian Erik Volpe , triple world junior champion.

The opening of the five-day leg of the kiteboarding tournament was given by the Wali of the region of Oued-Eddahab-Lagouira-governor of the province of Oued-eddahab, Hamid Chabar, in the presence of elected officials and community leaders.

The first day of this tournament stage was devoted to registration of riders and heats. In a press statement, the president of PKRA Mauricio Toskano highlighted the distinguised the participation of riders from different countries including the United States, Brazil, Australia, the Netherlands and Canada.

Toskano said that the choice to host this international event in Dakhla is dictated by the natural and climactic conditions that characterize the region, which has over the years become a favorite of amateur and professional boating sports.

The first leg of the kiteboarding championship was set on the beach of Hua Hin in Thailand from March 14 to 19.

Morocco is the only country hosting two stages of the Kiteboarding World Cup, which spans a total of 12 stages.

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