Wednesday October 6th, saw the official opening ceremony of the Gran Canaria Frontón King World Cup Bodyboarding event at the Casa Palacio del Cabildo de Gran Canaria. In attendance was the president of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales, the councilor for Tourism of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Carlos Álamo, the councilor for Sports of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Francisco Castellano, the mayor of the Gáldar City Council, Teodoro Sosa and the event director, Máximo Torres, as well as a wide representation of some of the participating riders.
Antonio Morales, president of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, is a firm supporter of the Front King event and with the 8th running of the content, he said, “the best promotion of the island and its natural values, it contributes to promoting sport and the sea and it is a call to normality and security in the face of the pandemic situation”.
Councilor for Tourism of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Carlos Álamo, added to this stating that the Frontón King event “teaches the whole world that we are an open, prepared and safe destination”.
The Councilor for Sports of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Francisco Castellano, acknowledged that this competition is also, “a firm commitment to grassroots sport. Boys and girls who compete on our shores throughout the year have the chance to compete alongside world champions”.
Teodoro Sosa, mayor of Gáldar, the municipality that hosts the event, wanted to highlight “how important it is for us that the best riders on the planet come to recognize us the quality of a wave that is part of our idiosyncrasy, we have one of the jewels of nature”.
Event director, Máximo Torres, is very excited for the contest and looks forward to seeing what unfolds from the 16th of October, “We are very proud to have managed to bring the junior world championship, which will be decided on our island, this event is an incredible job and we want it to last for many years.”
For the 2021 event, there is a total of 60 000 Euros which will be distributed to the winners. Continuing with the format of 2020, the Gran Canaria Frontón King will once again be a World Cup event due to the IBC World Tour being suspended due to Covid-19.
2021 sees a welcome return to spectators, although capacity will be limited to 1000 people – to ensure all attendees remain safe. The bodyboarding fans present, and those watching via the live stream, will be able to watch some of the best bodyboarders in the world do battle at the El Fronton slab from 16 October.
In the men’s open, riders such as current World Champion Tristan Roberts, Pierre Louis Costes (PLC), Dave Hubboard and Amaury Lavherne will all be chasing the Fronton King title. The will have strong competition from local riders, including current Fronton King Lionel Medina, Jonathan Vega, William Lujan, Dailos Rodriguez and Alex Uranga. The woman’s division will feature Isabella Sousa, Alexandra Rinder and defending Fronton Queen Teresa Padila.
The junior division will be hotly contested as not only will the winner walk away with the Junior Fronton King accolade, he will also be crowned the 2021 IBC World Junior champion. The junior division and the dropknee divisions are the only divisions which will see a IBC World Tour champion for 2021. The dropknee title was awarded to Sammy Morretino at the Sintra Portugal Pro earlier in this year.
The World Cup Gran Canaria Frontón King 2021 is an IBC Bodyboarding World Tour sanctioned event which is organized by Epic Events and with promotion by Cabildo de Gran Canaria through the Insular Institute of Sports, the Tourist Board of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, and the Ministry of the Presidency and the City Council of Gáldar. This event is sponsored by Corona, NMD / CO, and supporting companies, Jacio GuestHouse, Sonocom Audiovisuales, Link, Hydro Flask, Meduxa Mag, Vert Magazine, Camper Canarias and Fuente Bruma.
