Opening ceremony : photo courtesy Quiksilver ISA WJSC

International Surfing Association
Maresias, Brazil.
6 - 14 May 2006

Webcast   |   Scores/Results/Photos etc

QUIKSILVER ISA WORLD JUNIOR SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS DECLARED OPEN
Quiksilver Announces Sponsorship Renewal Until 2010

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 6 May, 2006 : - - The Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships opened with a fanfare of colour and samba dancing at Brazil’s Maresias Beach today.

More than 250 competitors from 27 countries marched behind their national flag bearer in a tremendous display of surfing unity. Each country poured sand from their local beaches into a special container to signify the mixing of cultures and sharing of goodwill.

ISA President Fernando Aguerre officially declared the championships open. “We don’t surf for money - we surf for honour, we surf for the pride of representing our countries, to win a medal or to win a place in the history of our sport,” Aguerre said.

Quiksilver CEO Bob McKnight also announced that Quiksilver would extend its current sponsorship of the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships until 2010. “I just love looking at kids and seeing their stoke because I know that stoke, I still have it, I had it when I was their age, and it’s something you can’t explain to somebody who is not involved in surfing or boardriding culture sports,” McKnight said.

ISA President Fernando Aguerre officially opened the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Games
photo courtesy Quiksilver ISA WJSC

“The national federations of the ISA are really the roots of our sport and they are so important to the survival and success, and further spread of our culture.” The youngest contestant in this year’s event, eight-year-old Iliana Aguirre, of Ecuador, took the sportsmanship oath on behalf of all 251 competitors. At the end of the ceremony, all competitors and officials joined a local samba dance group for a colourful grand finale.

The eight-day competition gets underway tomorrow (Sunday 7 May) and continues until Sunday 14 May.

Gold medals will be decided in three divisions – Under 18 and 16 Boys, and Under 18 Girls. The scores of the top three athletes per division are added to reach the final ranking to decide the World Junior Surfing Champion Team, a title currently held by Hawaii.

The surf is forecast to be 1.2 metres (3-4 feet). A solid, two-metre (six foot) swell greeted the competitors earlier this week and a number of boards have already been broken in the powerful Maresias beachbreaks.

 
Samba dancing lent an intoxicating local flavor to the event : photo courtesy Quiksilver ISA WJSC

Check www.quiksilver.com/isa for more details

Previous reports:
# 1 : Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships '06
# 2 : Quiksilver WJSC sets new 28 team attendance record 
# 3 : Quiksilver to sponsor ISA WJSC for three more years..  
# 4 : Coming soon 

INDIVIDUAL TEAM REPORTS:

Team Australia reports:
# 1 : Team Australia announced for World Junior Champs 06 
# 2 : Team Australia primed for World Jr. Championships
# 3 : Team Australia arrive in Brasil for ISA World Jr Champs
# 4 : Coming soon  

Team Brazil reports:
# 1 : Quiksilver WJSC Equipe brasileira treina em Maresias
# 2 : Surfistas brasileiros prontos para o Quiksilver WJSC..
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

Team France reports:
# 1 : Preparation de l'equipe de France Espoir pour WJSC 06
# 2 : L’équipe de France est bien arrivée à Marésias, Brazil..
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon   

Team Great Britain reports:
# 1 : British surf team fly to Brazil for World Championships
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

Team Hawaii reports:
# 1 : Hawaii Team off to World Championships with aloha!
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

Team New Zealand Reports
# 1 : New Zealand Juniors set to take on the world in Brazil 
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

Team South Africa
# 1 : SA Juniors arrive in Brazil for World Jr. Championships
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

Team Spain reports:                                        
# 1 : La selección Española de Surf Junior en el ISA WJSC
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

Team USA reports:
# 1 : Surfing America to hold special US Surf Team selection 
# 2 : Coming Soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

ABOUT THE ISA:
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for Surfing, Bodyboarding and Surfriding. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964, and the Junior World Championships since 1980.

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of over 50 countries in six continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. It is presided by Fernando Aguerre, first elected in 1994 in Rio, and re-elected five times since. The ISA’s four Vice Presidents are from South Africa, Australia, Hawaii and the USA.

Inspired by the Olympic spirit, the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships showcases athletes competing on behalf of their country. The top four finalists will be awarded gold, silver, bronze and copper medals. Like in the Olympics, cultural identity, team spirit and moments of great personal triumph are hallmarks of the event. For more information, visit: www.isasurf.org.

ABOUT QUIKSILVER, INC.
Quiksilver, Inc. (NYSE:ZQK) is the world's leading outdoor sports company, which designs, produces and distributes a diversified mix of branded apparel, wintersports and golf equipment, footwear, accessories and related products. The Company's apparel and footwear brands represent a casual lifestyle for young-minded people that connect with its boardriding culture and heritage, while its wintersports and golf brands symbolize a long standing commitment to technical expertise and competitive success on the mountains and on the links.

The reputation of Quiksilver's brands is based on different outdoor sports. The Company's Quiksilver, Roxy, DC Shoes and Hawk brands are synonymous with the heritage and culture of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding, and its beach and water oriented swimwear brands include Raisins, Radio Fiji, Leilani and Island Soul. The Rossignol, Dynastar, Lange, Look and Kerma brands are leaders in the alpine ski market, and the Company makes snowboarding equipment under its Rossignol, Dynastar, DC Shoes, Roxy, Lib Technologies, Gnu and Bent Metal labels. The Company's golf business includes Cleveland Golf, as well as Never Compromise putters and Fidra apparel by John Ashworth. Gotcha is the Company's surf-based European brand addressing street fashion.

The Company's products are sold in over 90 countries in a wide range of distribution, including surf shops, ski shops, skateboard shops, snowboard shops, proprietary Boardriders Club shops, other specialty stores and select department stores. The European headquarters are in St. Jean de Luz and Voiron, France; and the Asia/Pacific headquarters are in Torquay, Australia. Quiksilver's corporate and Americas' headquarters are in Huntington Beach, California.

NOTE: For further information about Quiksilver, Inc., you are invited to visit our corporate website at www.quiksilverinc.com and the websites of our brands at www.quiksilver.com, www.roxy.com, www.dcshoecousa.com, www.fidragolf.com, www.quiksilveredition.com, www.hawkclothing.com, www.rossignol.com, www.dynastar.com, and www.clevelandgolf.com.

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Kirk Willcox
Quiksilver International 
kirk.willcox@quiksilver.com.au

Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships 2006
João Carvalho
joaocarvalho@matrix.com.br

Confederação Brasileira de Surf (CBS):
Serginho Laus 
cbsassessoria@uol.com.br

Ader Oliveira 
ader@cbsurf.com.br

Confederação Brasileira de Surf (CBS):
www.cbsurf.com.br
Tel: 55 (041) 3023-4169
cbsurf@terra.com.br

Kate Herber
ISA Operations Manager
International Surfing Association
www.isasurf.org
Tel: 858-551-5292

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