Nias Open surf event back in spotlight

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.