Pozo Izquierdo will host, from July 9 to 17, the third round of the Windsurf World Cup 2022, which is organized by the 42-time world champion, Björn Dunkerbeck
Spectators who attend the event will be able to enjoy eight hours of competition daily, in addition to an extensive program of musical, gastronomic and recreational activities.
The windsurfing elite will meet, from July 9 to 17, at Pozo Izquierdo Beach, in Gran Canaria, in the third round of the 2022 Windsurf World Cup circuit, the second in the wave category, in in which more than 100 competitors will participate.
Present at the presentation ceremony were the president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales; the advisors of Sports and Tourism of the island corporation, Francisco Castellano and Carlos Álamo, respectively; the mayor of Santa Lucía de Tirajana, Francisco García; the councilors of Tourism and Sports, Ana Mayor and Pedro Sánchez; and the event organizer, Björn Dunkerbeck.
The president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales, thanked the Tourism and Sports Departments of the island corporation, the City Council of Santa Lucía de Tirajana and Björn Dunkerbeck “for all their efforts to make this event once again part of the Gran Canaria sports calendar. the island".
Morales also highlighted that “there is no geographical space with as many world titles in a sport as Gran Canaria has with windsurfing. Practitioners of this modality know what a privilege it is to be able to enjoy the conditions that our Island and, in particular, Pozo Izquierdo have almost all year round.”
The Minister of Sports, Francisco Castellano, reaffirmed the commitment of his Ministry to this World Championship and valued the sacrifice of the previous organization in charge of the Ruano sisters. “I thank Björn Dunkerbeck for his commitment to relaunch the organization of this event after a two-year hiatus,” said Castellano, who also stressed that “there will be more than 100 competitors across the different categories and 15 countries involved in the competition, including those that stand out are France, Germany, the United States and Japan.”
For his part, Carlos Álamo considered the return of this test as “especially positive and valuable news for the Island, as it is one of the most well-known, long-lived and representative sporting events.” Likewise, he stressed that "it is worth remembering that Gran Canaria is a paradise for practicing sports, especially as it begins to be known as the 'Home of Windsurfing'."
From a tourism point of view, the counselor highlighted that "the sector recovers one of its main claims, since this competition is especially useful when it comes to selling our destination internationally with the invincible formula of sun, beach and sport."
Francisco García, mayor of Santa Lucía de Tirajana, thanked the Cabildo of Gran Canaria and the Dunkerbeck family for this event returning to Pozo Izquierdo after a few very complicated years. Likewise, he highlighted that “Santa Lucía de Tirajana has been an international benchmark for more than 30 years thanks to windsurfing and that this is not only due to public aid, but also to private windsurf training and dissemination companies that “They have settled on the Pozo Izquierdo beach.”
Ana Mayor, Councilor for Tourism of Santa Lucía de Tirajana, highlighted the international projection of the event and indicated that "this championship produces approximately one million euros of advertising impact and a reach of more than 70 million viewers in 70 countries."
The councilor also highlighted the rest of the activities proposed by the council for the event, in which attendees will be able to enjoy gastronomic tastings, workshops for the little ones and top-level musical performances.
Pedro Sánchez, Sports Councilor for Santa Lucía de Tirajana, pointed out that “the fact that a massive event like this can be held is an example that normality is here to stay. A competition that, given its enormous sporting scope, places Gran Canaria and, in particular, Pozo Izquierdo, on the international scene.”
Finally, Björn Dunkerbeck commented that “the most complicated thing is going to be to engage the public again after two years of absence, but that the conditions of Gran Canaria, a paradise for practicing water sports, mean that the Island continues to be a reference for all windsurfing lovers.” The Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup in Pozo Izquierdo will feature the participation of Daida and Iballa Ruano, who have achieved 28 world titles between them. In this edition, her main rival will be the Aruban Sarah-Quita Offringa, current champion of the wave modality in 2019 and who has been on the podium in the last two editions in Pozo Izquierdo.
While this year's men's event will have as its main protagonists Bernd Roediger, Marcilio Brawzinho and Camille Juban, who made up the podium in the first event of this year held in Cape Verde. The 'home of Windsurfing' will also be attended by the 2019 champion, Brazilian Ricardo Campello, as well as local riders such as Liam Dunkerbeck, Marinito Gil, Michael Friedl and Phillip Köster.