The International Surfing Association (ISA) recently announced that the Stance ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championship will return to La Jolla.
The fourth iteration of the event will take place at La Jolla Shores from Dec. 12 to 16, welcoming more than 25 of the world’s best national para-surfing teams.
This year, the event will also mark the fourth consecutive year that Stance has played a key support role. Joining the World Championship initially as a presenting sponsor in 2015, Stance has since led as the title sponsor of the event since 2016, solidifying their brand’s integral and historic role in the growth and development of Adaptive Surfing worldwide.
In 2017, the Stance ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championship made history, as a record-breaking 109 athletes united in La Jolla to represent their 26 respective nations and compete for gold in the Paralympic-style, team-based event. The event was the first to take place after the ISA received official recognition from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and was a key milestone in the ISA’s ambitions to see Para-Surfing included in future editions of the Paralympic Games.
Last year also saw the ISA incorporate women-only divisions into the event for the first time following increased popularity and participation of the sport among women. As a result, the ISA crowned five women’s world champions – the first ever in the sport – in a strong display of the talent that has grown in women’s para-surfing.
The Stance ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championship was launched in 2015 with the goal of building a platform for physically challenged surfers to display their talents in competition. Under the ISA’s leadership, the sport has seen an explosion of growth and spurred the spread of the sport across the globe, particularly in Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania. The event’s participation numbers have boomed since the inaugural event with athlete participation increasing nearly 60 percent and country participation increasing more than 40 percent.
“The ISA is proud to host this World Championship for the fourth consecutive year and continue to make surfing more accessible to those with physical challenges around the world,” said ISA president Fernando Aguerre.
“Our commitment to para-surfing is representative of our inclusive nature as a federation and our push to spread the joy of the sport worldwide. Surfing has a therapeutic power to heal that we believe can be used to change people’s lives.
“We would also like to give a big thanks to Stance for extending their support to us in our pursuit to grow the adaptive surfing movement. Stance has been, and will continue to be, an integral part and key partner of our aim to grow and develop adaptive surfing within all of our 103 member nations.”
“We are excited to continue our involvement in the ISA’s para-surfing movement,” said John Wilson, Stance president and co-founder. “We take pride in supporting these incredible, inspirational athletes as they strive to achieve their dreams on a global stage.”
“Each of these athletes has a unique story of human originality that perfectly exemplifies our mission at Stance,” he added. “We look forward to watching the world’s best para-surfers take to the water with pride, determination, and sportsmanship.”