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It will be the first championship of the European season of the World Surf League (WSL) circuit with a purely Galician sponsorship.
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ABANCA PANTÍN CLASSIC GALICIA PRO turns 35 with a unique and expanded program that aspires to break the attendance records that the pandemic stopped.
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Never seen before images, data, and anecdotes from the championship, water rescues or the posters from previous editions give shape to an unrepeatable publication.
ABANCA PANTÍN CLASSIC GALICIA PRO leaves its mark. And in the 35 years of history of the Galician championship, there have been many and faithful to the original spirit. The ABANCA PANTÍN CLASSIC GALICIA PRO 2022 celebrates its 35th edition this July, the first competition of the European season of the WSL circuit with a unique and extended program throughout the 9 days of the championship (from July 9 to 17) that places the factory of waves of Pantín as the capital of surfing and aspires to beat the attendance record prior to the pandemic with the involvement of the entire region in this sporting event.
“It is rare who in Ferrol and its region, from the world of surfing or not, does not have any memory or anecdote of this championship. Many are those who have been infected by this passion for riding the waves and the proof is the multitude of schools that formed and proliferated along the Ferrol coast and the professionalization of a sport that has already given many names with roots in our beaches”, says Andrés Otero, director of the competition.
The daughters and sons of the first competitors now return to the beach where their parents paved the way in 1988 for what was then a minority sport. “None of those who ventured to organize the first professional surfing championship that took place in Galicia -Océano Surf Club and Club Praia de Pantín- imagined that three decades and five years later ABANCA PANTÍN CLASSIC GALICIA PRO would have the size of resources and infrastructure that it has today. It is a milestone in Galician sport, a reference in Spain, and success at a European level that we should all feel part of and proud of”, recall its founders.
FAITHFUL TO ITS ORIGINS
In addition to the sports spectacle, ABANCA PANTÍN CLASSIC GALICIA PRO is an economic boost for the region in tourism, hospitality, commerce, and the creation of headquarters of some surfing multinationals in the city.
Behind the championship, which is committed to inclusion and adapted sports with a specific competition for surfers with disabilities, is the institutional support of the Xunta de Galicia, the Ministry of Equality, and the Diputación da A Coruña, in addition to the Valdoviño City Council and the Federación Galega de Surf, and a purely Galician sponsorship led by Abanca and Estrella Galicia, Cabreiroá and the Gadisa group or the health giant, Vithas, among many other contributions from famous brands such as Dyson, Tag Heuer or Ecolife and local companies such as Parque Ferrol or Mercedes-Benz Louzao.
35 YEARS OF HISTORY IN AN UNREPEATABLE PUBLICATION
On the occasion of this 35th edition, a special publication of the championship throughout its three decades of history has been published. 248 pages in full color with never seen before images of living legends such as Tom Curren, Sunny Garcia, or John John Florence, or surfers much loved by the local public such as Gony Zubizarreta.
Throughout three decades of competition, the publication reflects the recent history of how the 9/11 attack against the Twin Towers on the eve of the 2001 championship or the Covid-19 pandemic itself in 2020 and 2021 affected the championship. It includes tales of the competition and aquatic rescues, the posters of all the championships, the winners, and features unpublished texts of those pioneers with a deluxe edition with the support of the provincial printing house of the Diputación de A Coruña.
A lo largo de tres décadas de competición, la publicación es testigo de la historia reciente de cómo afectó al campeonato el atentado del 11S contra las Torres Gemelas en vísperas del campeonato del 2001 o la propia pandemia del COVID-19 en 2020 y 2021. Repasa anécdotas de la competición y de rescates acuáticos, los carteles de todos los campeonatos, el palmarés, e incluye textos inéditos de aquellos pioneros con una edición deluxe con el respaldo de la imprenta provincial de la Diputación de A Coruña.