President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has inaugurated the Visit Maldives Pro 2022 bodyboarding event at Raalhugandu, Male’ City.
Visit Maldives Pro 2022 is the inaugural event of the Maldives Pro series for the International Bodyboarding Corporation (IBC) Bodyboarding World Tour, which is being held for the first time in the Maldives. In addition, this marks the first time an IBC world tour event is being held in the whole of Asia.
The world’s best bodyboarders representing 12 countries are competing for a prize pool of USD70,000 among four divisions, which are the Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Junior Men’s and Dropknee. Eight Maldivians are competing in the event, which is being held until August 7.
At the event, Secretary General of the Maldives Bodyboarding Association (MBBA) Hassan Rasheed thanked President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Minister of Youth, Sports, and Community Empowerment Ahmed Mahloof for giving their full support to hold the event in the Maldives. He said that the event was the result of discussions that began with IBC in 2020, adding that it will provide the opportunity for Maldivian athletes to compete and establish themselves in international rankings and pave the way for ‘surf tourism’ in the country.
Also at the ceremony, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IBC Glenn Cueves praised the Maldives for its diligence in preparing for Visit Maldives Pro 2022 and noted the country’s growing sports sector. Additionally, Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) Thoyyib Mohamed said that the Maldives has been the leading travel destination for the past two years and aims to become the leading surfing destination as well.