This year’s Kenting Cup International Open Surf Contest is set to start tomorrow at the Jialeshui Surfing Beach in Kenting National Park, with more than 200 local and foreign competitors expected to take part in the three-day event.
The competition will be the largest of its kind in Taiwan to date, said the event’s organizers, the Taiwan Oceanic Sports and Recreational Development Association and the Kenting Surf Shop.
The Japanese Pro Surf Association has sent four judges to lend a hand and help develop surfing in Taiwan, the organizers said.
This year’s Kenting Cup features competitions in 12 categories, including men’s and women’s long board, short board and bodyboard events, as well as an over-45 men’s long board competition and a novice women’s long board event for those who have been surfing for less than two years.
More than twice as many women will be competing in this year’s competition compared with last year, the organizers said.
The age difference between the oldest and youngest competitor this year is nearly half a century, with Wang Ying-rang being born in 1950 and Pan Hai-hsin born in 2000.
Several celebrities will also take part, including television actor Yao Yuan-hao (姚元浩) and model and actor Ethan Ruan (阮經天).
The organizers said that, for the safety of the competitors in the event, they have arranged a clean-up activity today to clear the waters around the beach of any debris washed into the area by the two typhoons that swept across Taiwan in recent weeks.
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