ESTORIL, April 21, 2004 – Laureus World Sports Academy members, windsurf
legend Robby Naish and cult skateboard star Tony Hawk, will host a spectacular
new event in Portugal next month - the two-day Laureus Beach Festival, to be
staged at Guincho Beach on the Lisbon Coast from May 9-10.
The Laureus Beach Festival, which will include surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing,
bodyboarding, skateboarding and kiteflying, is one of a series of high profile
events staged in the build-up to the fifth annual Laureus World
Sports Awards which will be unveiled at the Centro Cultural de
Belem on the Lisbon Coast on the evening of May 10.
Centrepiece of the two-day festival will be a specially constructed Halfpipe
built on Guincho Beach on which Tony Hawk will demonstrate his tricks. Robby
Naish, widely acknowledged as the greatest windsurfer of all time, will also
be showing his unsurpassed skills in the Guincho surf.
Guincho is a public beach and spectators will be welcome to come along to watch
this sporting extravaganza which will be staged against a background of music,
sea and sand.
Naish, who amazed the sporting world by winning his first world championship
at 13 and then proceeded to win another 22 world titles over the next 16 years,
said: "I'm really happy that we are doing this at Guincho. Guincho is well
known for its great wind and waves, and is a favourite spot amongst European
windsurfers and surfers. The beach set-up is perfect for spectators, and there
are pretty reliable conditions. I competed in a World Cup event at Guincho back
in the mid '80s, and I am really looking forward to going back. This should
be fun."
Tony Hawk is a skateboarding legend. During his 20-year competitive career,
he defied gravity with his outlandish tricks and became a role model to millions
of young people around the world.
He said: "This is going to be amazing - Laureus has a real commitment
to the entire range of sports and we're excited to demonstrate skateboarding,
windsurfing, kitesurfing and bodyboarding to all generations of enthusiasts.
The Lisbon Coast is going to enjoy a beach party like no other."
Also displaying their talent on the Halfpipe will be the brilliant Taig Kris,
who has won five skateboard medals in the X Games, including the gold medal
in 2001, and three times Bike Vert World Championship runner-up Simon Tabron.
Many of Portugal’s leading sport stars will also be appearing in the
Laureus Beach Festival:
Bodyboard – Manuel Centeno (World Champion), Hugo Pinheiro (European
Champion), Rui Ferreira (Portuguese Champion) and Kiki Saraiva.
Surfing – Justin Mujica (European Championship runner-up), José
Gregório (Portuguese Champion) and Ruben Gonzales.
Kitesurf – Arnaud Dussen (Portuguese Champion), Duarte Coelho and Carlos
Coelho.
Windsurf – Luis Calico (Portuguese Champion), Paulo Meira and Francisco
Fonseca.
Guincho is one of the best known beaches near Estoril. The clear waters and
the sand dunes make this area a major attraction for the locals as well as visitors
to the region. Most of the beaches are long established and ideal for alternative
sports. In addition to Guincho, the beaches of São Pedro, Carcavelos
and Ericeira are very popular with surfers. The whole region is one big open-air
sports complex.
This year, the Estoril & Sintra Coast will once again be hosting a number
of important water sports championships - the World Bodyboard Championship at
Praia Grande (Aug 10-14), the World Windsurf Championship at Guincho (Aug 22-25)
and the World Men’s Surfing Championship at Ericeira (Sep 18-26).
The Laureus World Sports Awards has established a unique place in the sporting
calendar, honouring the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen from around the world
and across all sports. The winners are selected by the ultimate sports jury
- the Laureus World Sports Academy which consists of 41 legendary sportsmen
and sportswomen.
This year the shortlist for the Laureus World Alternative Sportsperson of the
Year Award is one of the strongest ever, including surfing legends Layne Beachley
of Australia and Laird Hamilton from the United States, 14-year-old skateboarder
Ryan Sheckler, American snowboarders Gretchen Bleiler and Shaun White and French
mountain biker Anne-Caroline Chausson.
In addition to voting for the winners of the Laureus World Sports Awards, the
members of the Laureus World Sports Academy also volunteer their time and effort
to support the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which was set up to fund and
promote the use of sport as a tool for social change. Its work focuses on helping
young people overcome poverty, homelessness, war, violence, drug abuse, discrimination
and AIDS in 24 projects worldwide. Since its formation the Laureus Sport for
Good Foundation has influenced the lives of over 100,000 young people.
The Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony provides a fitting climax to two days
of high-profile events, which, in addition to the Laureus Beach Festival, includes
the Laureus Tennis Challenge and the Laureus Golf Challenge.
The winners of the fifth Laureus World Sports Awards, as voted by the Laureus
World Sports Academy, will be unveiled during a TV ceremony staged at the Centro
Cultural de Belem on the Lisbon Coast on May 10, 2004.
Members of the media who wish to attend the 2004 Laureus World Sports Awards
should apply for accreditation on the Laureus website www.laureus.com/accreditation
or email laureus@zonetc.com. Members of the media who wish to be added to the
Laureus World Sports Awards mailing list should contact Shelly Samuel on media@laureus.org.
Images of previous Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremonies
and events involving members of the Laureus World Sports Academy are available
on the Laureus Picture Archive at www.laureusarchive.com.
For further information please contact:
Karen Dillon
Laureus International Media Office
Tel: +44 (0)20 7514 2749
Email: media@laureus.org
Photo Archive: www.laureusarchive.com
Website: www.laureus.com
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