Kiteboard World Cup comes to Jamaica for 2010
EXTREME sport makes a landing in Jamaica as the 2010 Kiteboard World Cup comes to the island at Long Bay, Portland with the first leg of the sport’s official Pro World Championship Tour from March 25 to April 3.
The 10 days will see activities in nine events, including Freestyle, Course Racing, Wave Masters, and Junior for 40,000 euro in prize money.
The event, in conjunction with the Jamaica Tourist Board, was launched at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Wednesday evening.
Extensive television coverage on sport networks such as Fox Five, ESPN, and EuroSport, is a highlight of the Kiteboard World Tour with over 100 riders from all over the world expected to congregate on the Portland shoreline.
Kiteboard World Pro Tour (KWPT) promoter, Frederic Gravoille, told Sporting World that the winds associated with the North Eastern end of the island makes Portland ideal for the stop.
“It’s going to be great. Long Bay is a great place to do that.”
Jamaica-based kiteboarder Julia Brown has been involved in the sport for two years and will be among the competitors next month.
“It’s a most exciting sport that I’ve seen so far….it’s not much different in Jamaica than abroad, but our beaches are nicer and we have better winds,” she said.
Eugene Smith of Jamrock Tours, who is organising the Jamaican leg, discovered the sport 10 years ago, did the research and invited the KPWT to make a stop in Jamaica for 2010.
“We have the right conditions, the perfect conditions, the wind is there, the waves so I just thought of that location,” he told Sporting World.
The Kiteboard Pro World Tour will also make stops in Spain, Portugal, Brazil, France, Turkey, and Greece.