The main international kiteboarding event takes up the baton from the Youth Volleyball World Cup, giving Sardinia’s capital another week of great sport, from 6 to 10 October at the 6th Poetto stop and in live streaming on Saturday and Sunday on the Facebook and Youtube channels of the event and IKA. Numerous collateral initiatives for the protection of the sea will be hosted by SGS village
The great wait is over. Two years after the latest edition (2019), Cagliari is ready to host the KiteFoil World Series with the Sardinia Grand Slam, organized by GLESport in collaboration with the Chia Wind Club and with the technical support of the Yacht Club Cagliari, under the aegis of World Sailing and IKA, the International Kiteboarding Association, from October 6th to 10th.
In the traditional eve’s press conference, held at the Sardinia Grand Slam Village at the Poetto beach on Wednesday, October 6th, the OC President Gian Domenico Nieddu and the President of IKA Mirco Babini presented the event, in the presence of the Councilor for Tourism, Crafts and Commerce of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia Giovanni Chessa, the Councilor for Productive activities, Tourism and Promotion of the territory of the Municipality of Cagliari Alessandro Sorgia, the Councilor for Technological Innovation, Environment and Sea Policies of the Cagliari Municipality Alessandro Guarracino, and the regional president of CONI (Italian National Olympic Committe), Bruno Perra.
The Autonomous Region of Sardinia and the Municipality of Cagliari are the sponsoring bodies of this renowned international event, picking the baton from the U21 Volleyball World Championships that excited Cagliari’s crowd in the latest weeks, with the icing on the cake of the Italian national team’s triumph. The Kitefoil World Series is the World Cup of sailing discipline made up of speed and tactics, rapidly growing in the world panorama: it has been included among the Olympic disciplines starting from the Paris 2024 OG.
AXEL MAZELLA STAR OF THE EVENT
The French Axel Mazella, turning 24 next December, is the current leader of the IKA KiteFoil World Series 2021, thanks to the second position held in Gizzeria (Italy) last July and the success in Traunsee (Austria) on September 19th. The defending champion, multiple winner in Sardinia in the past years, Mazella leads the ranking with 597 points, six more than Denis Taradin (591), athlete coming from Russia, winner of the season’s premiere in Gizzeria and fourt placed in Traunsee. After grazing the podium in the opening race, Frenchman Theo De Ramecourt was runner-up in Austria: actually he’s only 9 points behind Mazella.
Runner-up in Gizzeria and third placed in Traunsee, Poema Newland is the best woman in the ranking with 447 points after two rounds. Winner of Austria’s stage, Lauriane Nolot (378) is ranked second, ahead of Italian Sofia Tomasoni (363) and Tiana Laporte (321). Valeria Garashchenko also stands among the most awaited athletes.
LIVE STREAMING ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9th-10th
The images of the Sardinia Grand Slam 2021 will be broadcasted in live streaming on Facebook and Youtube official channels both of the event and IKA (the international kiteboarding association), on Saturday-Sunday, October 9th-10th. The event will reach over 140 countries around the world, with dedicated services and specials. Highlights at the end of the day are scheduled for Thursday-Friday, October 7th-8th, on Facebook and Youtube official channels of Sardinia Grand Slam and IKA.
GIVE SEA A CHANCE: A CALL FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE SEA
The sea will be the protagonist at 360 degrees at the Sardinia Grand Slam. With the “Give SEA a chance” project, the organizers of the Cagliari sailing event embrace the work of raising awareness on the issue of protecting the sea, a global alarm to which no one can remain indifferent. “Give SEA a chance” emphasizes the emergency of the pollution of the seas and in particular that caused by plastic that is destroying marine ecosystems, killing animals and poisoning the waters. Cagliari will be a pole of interest for activities studied to develop a greater collective awareness of the importance of this theme, in a village divided in thematic areas (info and program www.sardiniagrandslam.com).
Standing out in the Give SEA a chance schedule, there are the social inclusion activities with the guys of the Foundation “House of Peter Pan” and “ASD SaSpo” followed by national federal kitesurf technicians, Luca Marcis and Mirco Babini, to live a unique experience of encounter with the sea that is synonymous of freedom against every barrier. The Give SEA a chance area will also host the exhibition of Dolphins, held in regenerated plastic in collaboration with Nhood – Gallerie Sardegna, curator of the Sardinia’s premiere of Cracking Art travelling exhibition, mixing art and sustainability. The initiative of beach cleaning of the beaches, to be held on October 9th, is organized by MEDSEA and promoted by the athletic champion Sofia Bonicalza, supporting “Plastic Hunt”. the international initiative of Clean Up created to raise awareness of the need to keep the sea clean and healthy.
Cagliari’s WWF local voluteers (with their invite “together possible” to tackle the new environmental challenges) and Legambiente local associated (constantly at the forefront of monitoring the sea and the coasts) will also play a key role in the event, as well as Villiasimus – Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area, the CRAMA (Center for the Recovery of Marine Animals in Asinara), the Punti di vista (Points of view) association, the educator Stefania Melis “Magic Stefy” and the writer Daniele Mocci.
THE SARDINIA GRAND SLAM SCHEDULE
Day 0 – Wednesday, October 6th
11:00 am – Press Conference at the Sardinia Grand Slam Village, entrance Chiosco “Il Nilo”, Poetto Beach, 6th stop – Cagliari
3:00 pm / 6:00 pm – Riders Registrations
06:30 pm – Opening ceremony in Cagliari – 6th stop Poetto Beach
8:00 pm – Welcome buffet for Riders and Officials
Day 1 – Thursday, October 7th
10:00 am – Races
Day 2 – Friday, October 8th
10:00 am – Races
Day 3 – Saturday, October 9th
10:00 am – Races
Day 4 – Sunday, October 10th
10:00 am – Races
4:00 pm – Prize giving and Closing Ceremony
QUOTES:
Giovanni Chessa (Councilor for Tourism and Commerce of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia): “Sardinia is the island of sport, a point at the center of the world where we were able to seize numerous opportunities in spite of the pandemic. Now we are looking for solution to extend tourism before the summer: this year we hosted 20 world events scheduled“.
Alessandro Sorgia (Councilor for Productive Activities, Tourism and Promotion of the territory of the Cagliari Municipality): “The Sardinia Grand Slam makes these athletes testimonials of our region and our city, and that they can return here for the holidays, together with friends and acquaintances. CONI also had a great deal of attention for sport on our island and in our city”.
Alessandro Guarracino (Councilor for Technological Innovation, Environment and Sea Policies of the Cagliari Municipality): “We are excited to give our contribution to the Sardinia Grand Slam, both for the sporting and the collateral aspects, the environmental one above all. Sailing sports can be a promotional vehicle of fundamental importance for the protection of the sea”.
Bruno Perra (President of CONI Sardinia): “Sardinia is hosting international events of the highest level: people from all over the world arrive here to enjoy splendid scenarios like this one. Italian sport is experiencing one of the best moments in its history and we are convinced that the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 will go even better“.
Mirco Babini (President of IKA): “For the tenth year in a row Poetto hosts international regattas: Cagliari has a historical vocation in the world of kite. It was natural to aim for reaching an international dimension: the future is represented by an academy of the discipline. In Cagliari, we scheduled 6 races a day and then the finals on Sunday: the KiteFoil has become a sport with a capital S”.
Gian Domenico Nieddu (President of the Organizing Committee): “Besides being a top-level competition, the Sardinia Grand Slam also wants to focus on the protection and safeguarding of the sea. Thanks to the invaluable help of my collaborator Milena Spada, we were able to field a series of initiatives that aim to develop a greater collective awareness of the importance of this issue”.