Nias Open surf event back in spotlight

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

After being canceled last year due to flooding in the area, the Ya'ahowu international surfing championship will return to Nias with the seventh edition of the annual event slated to run from July 26 to July 28.

Sixty surfers from Indonesia and other countries are expected to participate in the competition at the Soroke Lagundria beach. A total of Rp 60 million in cash prizes will be up for grabs.

Dahlan Hasan Nasution, an organizing committee official, said that 20 surfers from six foreign countries had arrived in Nias and had begun training to get a feel for the waves at Sorake Lagundri.

Among the foreigners are seven surfers from Japan, Kawai Mikio, Kotsusa Hinoyuki, Iwasu Nobumasu, Nakamura Daisuke, Yawa Guchi Kiyoshi, Kato Michio and Natsumu Nogoru.

New Zealand is represented by Bruce Greer while Brazil will field Rodago Guerra Rena.

Other surfers hail from Australia, South Africa and the United States, but Dahlan did not give their names.

Indonesia will field 14 contenders -- seven each from Bali and Nias.

"There may be more foreign countries coming who will confirm their participation later," Dahlan told a press conference here on Thursday.

The Nias Open has been an annual international surfing event since 1995. But it was not staged last year because of the flooding that struck a large part of the island.

With the cost of the event expected to come in at Rp 325 million, Dahlan said that the North Sumatra administration hoped it would attract both domestic and overseas tourists.

"We are anxious to make the event a success. This will give impetus to the campaign to lift the tourism industry in North Sumatra, particularly in Nias," he said.