Everything is ready for the Agios Nikolaos On SUP 2018 EuroTour
This year once again, Agios Nikolaos, Crete, will host a stop of the EuroTour 2018. This event is the only international and most anticipated SUP event in our country, on 26-27 May, with the participation of top representatives of the field from Greece and abroad. In addition, the Agios Nikolaos On SUP event will host the qualifiers for the team that will represent Greece at the SUP World Championship of the International Surfing Association (ISA) in Brazil .
Michalis Farsaris , president of DAEAN, who organizes the event, has all the information.
How did the idea of Agios Nikolaos on SUP came up and for how many years has the event taken place?
The idea came from the fact that SUP offers myself exciting experiences for about ten years now and windsurfing for more than twenty-five years! I have travelled to many parts of the world to enjoy the waves in all the oceans! For the last four years I am the chairman of the Societe Anonyme of the corporation that owns the Municipality of Ag. Nicholas (DAEAN). We manage the beaches of the Municipality and the unique marina of Crete. It is the fourth year of the event and I wish for it to carry on for a lot more! When I proposed this event as a way to advertise the beaches of our area, we got the support of the local community and businesses with their sponsorships. This proposal was made in the context of the promotion of our destination through activities organized in the past years by DAEAN together with the Cultural and Sports Organization of the Municipality. Agios Nikolaos on SUP is a party for the sea-lovers who like stand up paddling, it’s not a sports race! Nevertheless, on the wonderful routes that we annually design, participants from all over the world, for whom we are honored with their presence, will distinguish by their speed and maneuverability.
What are the advantages of the Agios Nikolaos area for this particular event and its participants?
Agios Nikolaos is a destination with 5 star, high-quality hotels and at the same time offers visitors the opportunity for a very affordable holiday. The area has excellent beaches, unique scenery, exquisite gastronomy and a wonderful climate. Combined with the often strong winds, they allow riders to enjoy downwind rides along the bay all summer long and during winter with frequent southern winds. It is no coincidence that we have achieved strong air on the Long Distance Main Event three years in a row.
What do you think about the level of SUP in Greece and how big is the competition with the foreign participants?
Greece is currently at the stage of developing the sport, as it showed with our recent participation in the Danish World SUP Championship of ISA. Our athletes are strong in speed, as the promising Nikos Syrigos showed. Women seem to have a competitive deficit in participations in greek events, although in free surf and weekly meetings, for example in our own Agios On SUP Academy, women are stronger in numbers!
Do you think that our country can invest in such events, aimed at sports tourism?
Greece is a well-known international destination for windsurfing, with centers on many islands due to strong winds. Obviously, it is obvious that they can also offer opportunities for Downwind SUP centers, but also for no wind SUP, for example, in the Ionian Islands. The Agios On SUP event is using this strategy. It aims to attract tourism for outdoor sports activities. Besides the wonderful beaches, we have beautiful and high mountains. DAEAN started this year to be active in the field of hiking trails, too, and made an international cooperation for the marketing of all relevant Municipality events, with this very purpose.
Article from Love Surfing
