2010 ISA World Masters Surfing Championship

Santa Catalina, Panama: August 27 - September 5

CLICK HERE FOR UPDATED INFORMATION TO TEAMS!!!

OFFICIAL INVITATION (en español)

Host Organizer: Surf Box
Sanctioned by the International Surfing Association

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO!

IMPORTANT CONTACTS

International Surfing Association	Surf Box
5580 La Jolla Blvd #145	Bella Vista, Edificio la Fortuna, 1er Piso
Tel: (858) 551-8580	Al lado del EuroHotel
Fax: (858) 551-8563	Panama
Email: surf@isasurf.org	Tel: (507) 301-0701/ 301-0711
Website: www.isasurf.org	Email: panamaworldmasters@gmail.com

EVENT SCHEDULE (Subject to change)

*Schedule is subject to change. Contact the ISA to schedule your registration appointment.

Thursday, 26 August	Arrivals and Team Registration
Friday, 27 August	Arrivals and Team Registration Managers Meeting Judges Meeting Registration closes at 6:00pm SHARP
Saturday, 28 August	Parade of Nations and Opening Ceremony Media Conference
Sunday, 29 August	Competition Begins
Saturday, 4 September	Finals and Closing Ceremony

TEAM SIZE

Team confirmation, payment, seeded competitor lists and all documentation must be finalized with the ISA by 27 August 2010 to participate in the 2010 ISA World Masters Surfing Championship. This event has a limit on the number of athletes permitted, so the ISA urges teams to register and finalize payment as soon as possible.

Team size is as follows:

2 Masters (Over 35)
2 Grand Masters (Over 40)
2 Kahunas (Over 45)
1 Grand Kahuna (Over 50)
1 Womens Master (Over 35)
Alternates, Team Officials and Team Supporters at the discretion of team management

Ages are taken from January 1st in the year of participation. A Master surfer must be 35 years and older on January 1, 2010 to compete in this year's event.

REGISTRATION FEES

The current rate for registration is USD$175 per registrant. This rate is only available for all registration payments and documents received by the ISA prior to the close of registration. See the complete Registration Fee schedule below.

The benefits of registration include:

Access to Official ISA Pre and Post Event Communications
Invitations to Official Event Functions
Limited Insurance coverage while participating in the ISA event
Official transportation as described below:
- Lodging to/from Official Events and Meetings
- Lodging to/from Contest Venue
Participation in the Parade of Nations and Official Opening Ceremony
Access to Team discounted rates for lodging, and food and airfare, if negotiated by the host organizer
Official Event T-Shirt
Official gift bag with Rulebook, Event Program, Sticker, Poster, etc.
Access to Team Tents at Contest Venue
Water and snacks at Contest Venue

The ISA's policy is to collect registration fees for all those officially associated with each team, as well as those who desire to obtain any of the registration benefits. This includes all coaches, medical staff, translators, media, family members and friends who want VIP credentials.

REGISTRATION FEE SCHEDULE

Teams will pay USD$175 per registrant if fees are received by end of day on 19 August 2010.
Teams will pay USD$200 per registrant if fees are received between 20 and 26 August 2010.
Teams will pay USD$225 per registrant if fees are received onsite at event on 27 August 2010. (US$ and credit cards only; no checks)

The ISA will only accept USD$ during Team Registration and throughout the duration of the contest. Please bring correct payment in USD$.

Items to note:

Registration fees will be charged to each team member, managers, coaches, translators, medical staff, media, supporters and additional parties.

All registrants must sign an Indemnity Form provided by the ISA.

A surfer competing in more than one division is required to pay a Registration Fee for each division entered.

Alternates must be identified and paid for prior to close of registration to be eligible for participation in the contest.

OUTSTANDING BALANCES

A nation will not be allowed to compete if it has any outstanding dues payable to the ISA. Contact ISA Operations Coordinator, Anne Tuite at annetuite@isasurf.org to verify outstanding account balances.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Registration will take place during the day on the 16th, 17th and 18th of October. Please review the ISA's registration requirements.

Complete list of names of all participants. For security purposes, the ISA must receive the names and contact information of all athletes, coaches, managers, trainers, family and friends. Athletes must be listed in seeded order.
Travel & Accommodation Information, including arrival and departure dates & times and lodging.
Passports - All athletes' nationality and ages must be confirmed. Actual passport and clear copies of passports must be provided at time of registration.
Athlete Bios to be used for media purposes.
Therapeutic Use Exemption forms. These forms may be submitted via email or fax to the ISA HQ in advance of contest.
Indemnity form for each registered team member AND ALL REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS.
Code of Conduct - forms must be completed and signed.
List of team email addresses
Sand – 2.5 liters of dry sand from the beaches of your country for the Sands of the World Ceremony. Label the sand container with country and beach name.
National Flag

GENERAL INFORMATION

Representation
A competitor may only represent a country if he/she holds a passport or certified documents of citizenship declaring eligibility for a passport of that country. Once a competitor has surfed for a country in any ISA event, he/she generally may not surf for another country at future ISA sanctioned International Events. If an athlete is allowed to represent a second nation based on the conditions set forth in Paragraph b of By-Laws to rule outlined below, he/she may not change back to representing his/her original country.

Special exemptions may be considered, however, after presentation to the Executive Committee at least three (3) months prior to the start of any ISA sanctioned event. Requests for exemption will only be considered if received in writing through the affiliated NGB to the Executive Committee via the ISA office, with certified copies of all relevant documentation (passport, letters from/to National Sports Organizations or Home Affairs Offices, etc) accompanying the representation. *Please see the ISA rulebook for By-Laws.

Drug Testing
Drug Testing will follow the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) guidelines and will be conducted on or around the final day of competition. All finalists plus three (3) random tests will be conducted. To check on the updated list of banned substances, go to the WADA website www.wada-ama.org.

Passports & Visas
Please check with your travel agent or your Foreign Affairs Department for requirements.

Travel Vaccines
Please contact your Foreign affairs department for further information.

Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is recommended as private hospital care, major emergency or emergency treatment (car accident, etc) can be very expensive without insurance.

EVENT SITE INFORMATION

The Republic of Panama is the southernmost country of Central America, bordered to the north by the Caribbean Sea, to the south by the Pacific Ocean, to the east by Colombia and to the west by Costa Rica. Its early status as a transit country allowed Panama to become a meeting point of cultures from around the globe.

Santa Catalina is a little surf town located in the Veraguas province of Panama, and is home to several hundred people who lead simple lives, many as fishers.

The official Panamanian language is Spanish, but you will also find a lot of people who speak English in Santa Catalina and as well as other areas of Panama. Balboa is the name given to the official currency of Panama, which is the US dollar. Panamanian coins are of the same value, size and metal as US coins, so both are frequently used interchangeably.

The country of Panama provides a variety of outdoor entertainment and activities including fishing, surfing, and diving. In addition to the high quality surf, Isla Coiba is just 40 minutes from Santa Catalina, and the Coiba National Park is located about 25 minutes by charter flight from Panama City or 4 hours by car. The National Park covers over 430,000 acres, making it one of the largest marine parks in the world.

WEATHER FORECAST

Panama is known to have tropical weather with 2 seasons during the year: Sunny and Rainy. The 2010 ISA World Masters Surfing Championship will be taking place during the RAINY season, but it typically does not rain every day so be sure to bring a lot of sunblock. The air temperature should be in the range of 30° - 35° degrees Celsius/86° - 95° degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and about 26° degrees Celsius/ 78° degrees Fahrenheit at night.

SURF FORECAST

The event has been scheduled to take place in August/September and the surf should see barrels most of the time. Santa Catalina will provide a long right with an incredible barrels section. The main wave is located approximately 300 meters from the coast, so you can get there paddling or by boat. It is a rocky break and it is susceptible to sizeable waves in any type of swell coming from the south or south west.

AIR TRAVEL

The Host recommends COPA Air as it is one of the largest airlines that flies regularly into the Panama City Airport.

LODGING

Santa Catalina's quaint atmosphere provides various accommodation options. The full list with contact details can be found HERE. The Host encourages teams to coordinate accommodations directly with the vendor.

If teams need further assistance, please contact:
Mariangelica Lasso (Surf Box): mobile (507) 6614-9870, office: 396-4559/60/61/62
E-mail: mlasso@whitegroup.biz
Edificio Bolivar, Local #4 Planta baja.
Calle 52 Oeste y Ave. Federico Boyd, Bella Vista. Ciudad de Panamá

GROUND TRANSPORTATION

To/From Airport:

The distance between the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City and Santa Catalina is about 5 hours by car or bus. The host is hoping to coordinate options for teams travelling by bus to Santa Catalina, and this information will be provided as soon as possible.

Teams who wish to stay in Panama City prior to making the trip to the town of Santa Catalina may wish to book lodging at the Euro Hotel or the various hotels that are easily found on the internet (Marriott, Radisson, Le Meridien).

Santa Catalina To/From Contest Site:

The distance between the town of Santa Catalina and the Contest Site is a mere 1-3 minute walk depending on the lodging chosen.

MEALS

The town of Santa Catalina is small and therefore some of the restaurants will most likely fill up quickly with visitors and teams from the event. The host anticipates providing information for meal plan options, and these details will be made available to teams as they are confirmed.

Teams may also choose to purchase food in the larger cities of Panama City or Santiago prior to making their way to Santa Catalina, and preparing food in the fully equipped kitchens within the lodging selected.

INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL MEDIA EXPOSURE

The media exposure this contest can provide you, your NGB and your athletes is absolutely priceless. Please submit a list of key media contacts in your region to the ISA so that they may receive ISA press releases. We also ask that you forward local media coverage before and after the event to the ISA so we may use it to promote surfing worldwide. Please contact Pablo Zanocchi at pablo@isasurf.org.

PAYMENT DETAILS

IMPORTANT - A nation will not be allowed to compete if it has any outstanding dues payable to the ISA.

For Credit Card payments, pay through the ISA Store on the ISA website - "ISA Event Registration Fee".

For Onsite payment, the ISA will only accept US Dollars.

For Wire transfers, please contact the ISA for details.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN PANAMA!