Seek the Wind, Skim the Waves, it's out of this world
As a lead up to a potentially global-appealing mega competition in the coming year, the Kalpitiya WindSports Club (KWC) unveiled its first ever international KiteSurfing event, the Kalpitiya Lagoon Challenge (KLC), this weekend. The competition, which includes a series of interactive segments, began yesterday and will wind up today as KWC President, Upul de Silva, intends to make this event as a learning curve before the planned international competition.
"We, at the KWC, have been promoting the sport to the locals, as well as the area of Kalpitiya to the whole world since 2011. We organised many events since then, and yearly, an average of 5 competitions have been conducted until this one. Those were all based on personal contact, other modes of interaction with people who have a similar interest and mainly for fun and leisure. But this is the first time that a competition of this nature is taking place with corporate and government support," stated de Silva.
For the 2-day event, where much of the activities were conducted yesterday, the KWC has planned heavily to attract nearly 150 KiteSurf riders, of which close to 120 are foreigners. The competition is fully endorsed by Sri Lanka Tourism, as the sport itself is beyond the scope of being just a competition. Mr de Silva explained that promoting KiteSurfing and Kalpitiya has attracted thousands of foreigners, who were amazed by the location and the perfect settings for this adventurous water sport.
"Kalpitiya is placed among the top 5 Kite-Surfing locations of the world, mainly because of the wind factor. Foreigners come here not knowing anything about the Kalpitiya Lagoon, but they leave with high regard, and through word-of-mouth, this place is becoming a popular destination for tourists as well as competitors," Mr de Silva, a competitor himself who has trotted the globe for Kite-Surfing competitions, explained.
The KWC has come out with a few competitions before the KLC, and Mr de Silva revealed that the response from foreign competitors, with regard to participation at certain events in the recent past, was overwhelming. Two such notable events were held in 2012 and 2015, as the competition happening this weekend is considered a rehearsal for a mega competition in 2017.
"We havehav had very good turnouts when it came to competitors, with foreigners taking the major share. We do have a good following from international competitors and tourists. With that in mind, we thought of coming out with a well planned, comprehensive and a professional competition, which we intend to have through 5 eventful days. Things are falling into place and the KLC is a result of it," he added.
The KLC will be held under two different categories for males and females. Top finishers of the course event and jump event will receive sports gears and medals, but the intended competition next year is set to be a much looked forward to one, with attractive cash rewards up for grabs.