Men’s and Women’s Longboard World Championship Tour

CEO of Helifix, Robert Agarobe said the company was proud to support the upcoming event, which will showcase sports tourism in a remote part of the country.

While branding the helicopter for the event, President of the Surfing Association of PNG, Andrew Abel said he was proud to have such great supporters and sponsors of the annual event, and was even more proud that PNG-owned companies are leading the way in making this all happen.

The helicopter itself will be based at the surfing event throughout the week, providing emergency services should the need arise.

President of the Surfing Association of PNG (SAPNG), Andrew Abel said the eight-day event will be the litmus test for SAPNG.

“We have the toilets and showers going in, we have the judging towers already up, the grandstand, the main stage and the media stage are currently under construction.

“By the end of the month, we should have the SAPNG containers on the ground plus the catering containers supplied by IPI Catering to provide 4, 000 meals for the duration of the event.

Through its brand Mountain Dew, Paradise Beverages will also be supporting in kind with the sponsorship of snacks, drinks, spices and supplies for the event that will be held in Madang at the Tupira Surf Club from March 18-25.

President of SAPNG, Andrew Abel thanked Paradise Beverages saying their sponsorship makes them the naming rights sponsor to the Expression Session of the event which will see the children of Tupira compete against the world’s best using traditional style boards.

CEO of PNG TPA, Jerry Agus said the sponsorship to Surfing Association of PNG (SAPNG) will be at much larger level given that the country is hosting a major international sporting event that will be streamed live to a 120 million viewers all around the world.

“In terms of marketing, such an event televised on global networks over 10 days will be a major hit for PNG.

“This will go a long way in enhancing the profile and image of PNG to the rest of the world, not only for surfing but for PNG generally as a desired destination for all international travellers,” said Agus.

President of the Surfing Association of PNG, Andrew Abel said the two PNG surfers (one male and one female) will be chosen from the 10 affiliated surfing clubs in the country.

“The World Surfing League has only granted us two wild card entries. We can’t have any more than that.

“The 36 male and 18 female inbound surfers are invited only. These are the world’s elite surfers.

“So we’re very fortunate to have the world’s best on our shores and we’ve capitalized on this opportunity to also showcase our best to compete with them.