TAITUNG, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the first time, Taitung County is representing Taiwan in the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour by hosting 2013 Taiwan Open of Surfing from Nov. 13-17. Taitung, which had been a stop on the Asian Surfing Championship (ASC) tour, is hosting the event for the third time this year.
The "ASP 1 Star Qualifying Tour" is equivalent to the surfing world's Olympic-level competition in which top surfers from around the world vie for points in the professional world tour.
The competition will be held at Jinzun, Taitung with world longboard champion Taylor Jensen traveling to Taiwan for the second time to defend his crown. To promote the sport of surfing in Taiwan and boost the standard of Taiwanese surfers, the Taiwan Open is not only offering a grand prize of US$4,000 but also featuring the first Tag Team challenge in Taiwan. The new addition has generated local buzz and enthusiasm.
There will be plenty of highlights this year that the audience cannot afford to miss. Two-time world longboard champion Taylor Jensen will be entering the men's shortboard ASP star event for the first time; world champion Harley Ingleby, who is ranked first in Australia and fifth in the world, will face off against rising star Matt Hewitt from Australia in the ASP men's short board and professional longboard mixed competition along with Nic Jones, who will be in Taiwan for the second time. They said they were looking forward to this Asia tour.
The competition this year was flooded with entries, a first for the local surfing community. At the close of registration, over 50 international athletes from 8 countries, including Australia, US, Japan, Hong Kong, South Africa, Indonesia, New Zealand and Greece, have entered the race. When top local surfers are included, this event will have over 200 elite surfers competing for the champion's crown in Taitung, eastern Taiwan.
Do you want to experience the thrill of the competition first-hand? Shuttle buses and transportation information are available at the official Taiwan Open of Surfing website.
