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Billabong ISA World Surfing Games

International Surfing Assn.
Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica
1 – 8 August 2009

“Yes, yes, I will be in Costa Rica for the ISA World Surfing Games representing Peru in this great event,” affirmed Sofía Mulanovich, the Champion of the 2004 International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games Ecuador 2004 and the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour (WCT) Champion as well. She will return to the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009, which will take place in Playa Hermosa July 31 to August 8, after two absences in California and Portugal.

With the integration of one of the most famous surfers in the world–Mulanovich has won the Surfer Magazine Poll Awards the past three years–the Peruvian adds a cache to the Costa Rica version of the World Surfing Games. For the surfer herself, she is pleased to return to the Games in a Latin American country.

“I am pleased to represent Peru in Latin American countries. Although it is a different experience, it is a place where they speak to you in Spanish. And at the same time, it is better than competing in countries that are far away,” the Peruvian declared.

At the same time that Mulanvich won the World Surfing Games Ecuador 2004, she was able to pull through the best year of the WCT, the Women’s World Tour. With this, she obtained two of the most important surfing titles in the world, a feat obtained solely by Peru in the history of the sport.

With that kind of history to live up to, the country of Peru has summed the best and most recognized of their surfers to profit at the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009. In doing so, they are a likely favorite to enter the Top 10.

The Peruvian National Surf Team are: Open: Gabriel Villarán, Javier Swayne, Alvaro Malpartida and Matías Mulanovich. Women: Sofía Mulanovich and Analí Gómez. Longboard: Picolo Clemente and Tamil Martino.

Among these names, Peru has offered up Latin American, Pan-American and ASP Junior title winners with surfers Villarán, Swayne and Gómez.

With the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009 already drawing 35 countries to Playa Hermosa, more and more countries are revealing their star players, while some other teams are revealing their full lists. Venezula offered the name of Francisco Bellorín, a surfer who dominates the Asociacion of Latinamerica de Surfistas Profesionals (ALAS) Latin American circuit. Argentina, another Hispanic giant that performed with excellence at the Huntington, California World Surfing Games in 2006 and have evolved remarkably since then, will bring 2006 Latin American Champion Martín Passeri and the Latin Longboard BiChampion Martín Pérez.

The múltiple Chilean Junior ALAS Champion Manuel Selman, is a member of his team’s national selection. Selman is currently surfing the WQS, where he is today proudly representing South America in the ASP circuit. Panama is bringing with them the unique surfer of the región, Gary Saavedra, who is the 13-time Panamanian National Surf Champion, and “The Most Professional” surfer, according to ALAS. In 2005, Saavedra obtained the Pan-American Subchampionship.

Another neighboring country to Costa Rica that will take advantage of the logistics is Nicaragua, who will be making their first appearance at the World Surfing Games. Their team will be comprised of the Central American Junior Champion Rex Calderón, who is also a Champion in Open and Junior in Nicaragua as well.

Meanwhile, please find below more countries and their slate of team members who will be participating in the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games Costa Rica 2009.

1) Australia-Confirmed

2) Bahamas
1 Blake Sands Open Men
2 Corey Engle Open Men
3 Joshua Sands Open Men
4 Warren Knowles Open Men
5 Sarah Cox Open Women
6 Joshua Sands Longboard
7 Brad Boyd Longboard

3) Barbados
1 Stefan Corbin Open Men
2 Simon Coles Open Men
3 Christopher Clark Open Men
4 Jonathan reece Open Men
5 Chelsea Tuach Open Women
6 Kenneth Tuach Longboard
7 Kevin Jones Longboard
8 Peter Corbin-Mgr Team Official
9 Nicholas Donawa-Coach Team Official

4) Brazil-Confirmed

5) France
1 Jeremy Flores Open Men
2 Mickael Picon Open Men
3 Marc Lacomare Open Men
4 Maxine Huscemot Open Men
5 Pauline Ado Open Women
6 Lee Ann Curren Open Women
7 Antione Delpero Longboard
8 Remi Arauzo Longboard
9 Michel Plateau-Tm Mgr Team Official
10 Patrick Flores-Coach Team Official
11 Pierre-Marc Gaillard-Kine Team Official
12 Thierry Durantel-Medical Team Official

6) Ireland
1 Fergal Smith Open Men
2 Liam Joyce Open Men
3 Stephen Kilfeather Open Men
4 Ronan Oertzen Open Men
5 Nicole Morgan Open Women
6 Tahlia Britton Open Women
7 John McCurry Longboard
8 Emmet O’Doherty Longboard
9 Stevie Burns-Mgr Team Official
10 Marcos Dias-Coach Team Official

7) Japan
1 Kai Ojima Open Men
2 Syuuhei Kato Open Men
3 Yoji Oosedo Open Men
4 Yuki Kobayashi Open Men
5 Nao Oomura Open Women
6 Minato Takahashi Open Women
7 Yuku Okazaki Longboard
8 Yuta Morimoto Longboard
9 Yoshio Sekiguchi-Mgr Team Official
10 Oasamu Yoshinagu-Coach Team Official
11 TBD Team Official

8) Mexico-Confirmed

9) New Zealand
1 Billy Stairmand Open Men
2 Guaranga Ormond Open Men
3 Jay Quinn Open Men
4 Matt Hewitt Open Men
5 Daisy Thomas Open Women
6 Laura Rishworth Open Women
7 Daniel Procte Longboard
8 Thomas Kibblewhite Longboard
9 David Van Staden-Mgr Team Official
10 Jay Quinn-Coach Team Official

10) Nicaragua
1 Rex Calderon Open Men
2 Luis Chamorro Open Men
3 TBD Open Men
4 TBD Open Men
5 Jose Hernandez Longboard
6 Javier Baldovinos-Mgr Team Official
7 Tony Longobucco-Coach Team Official

11) Peru-Confirmed

12) Puerto Rico-Confirmed

13) South Africa
1 Brandon Jackson Open Men
2 Rudy Palmboom Open Men
3 Damien Fahrenfort Open Men
4 Ryan Payne Open Men
5 Rosanne Hodge Open Women
6 Nikita Robb Open Women
7 Justin Bing Longboard
8 Michael Hill Longboard
9 Mike Sheppard-Mgr Team Official
10 Graham Hynes-Coach Team Official
11 Ant Brodowicz-Dep Coach Team Official
12 Kevin Olsen-Asst. Coach Team Official

14) Switzerland
1 Jurg Diemand Open Men
2 Roland Hauser Open Men
3 Christian Bulling Open Men
4 Stefan Vogel Open Men
5 Andrea Rodriguez Open Women
6 Celine Gehret Open Women
7 Stefan Vogel Longboard
8 Sven Grossenbacher Longboard
9 Tino Staheli-Mgr Team Official
10 Nicolas Foftu- Media Team Official

15) Tahiti-Confirmed

16) Trinidad & Tobago
1 Chris Dennis Open Men
2 Jason Apparicio Open Men
3 Che Lovelace Open Men
4 Alan Davis Open Men
5 Micheline Ferreira Open Women
6 TBD Team Official
7 TBD Team Official

17) USA-Confirmed

18) Venezuela-Confirmed