Landlocked Mongolia has become the latest country to join the International Surfing Association (ISA), taking the world body’s total membership to 106 nations on five continents.
Surfing, which traditionally needs only a beach and some waves, can now be enjoyed inland and even indoors thanks to wave machines and is due to make its Olympic debut in Tokyo next year.
The sport is also on the program for the 2020 Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China.
“The growth of surfing in nontraditional surfing nations is testimony to how surfing’s Olympic inclusion has expanded the sport to new corners of the globe,” association president Fernando Aguerre in a statement.
“Surfers that thought the Games were far out of reach now have a tangible dream that they can pursue,” he said.
The association said that the Mongolian federation, recognized by the Mongolian National Olympic Committee, could now organize indoor surfing competitions using wave pool technology and set up a network of surfing clubs.
It would also develop disciplines that can be practiced on flat water, such as standup paddle.
Mongolia Surfing Federation (MSF) president Tamir Amarbayasgalan said in the ISA statement that membership was “a crucial step towards promoting and popularizing the sport of surfing in Mongolia.”
“This creates an opportunity for us to field a national team to compete at the ISA’s international competitions. The MSF has created a platform that will allow surfers to get information and become a part of the worldwide surfing community,” he said.
Oman, which held its first surf contest in August last year, also joined the ISA as a member.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ￥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ￥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,
RSS