Japan held a World Tour stop in 1997.
The International Bodyboarding Corporation has just released the full scheduled for the next season (read HERE) and one of the new features presented is precisely an event in the recently built wave pool Praia da Grama in Brazil.
The Wave Pro 2024 will run from June 1-4th with two disciplines: Pro Men and Pro Women. The complex stays 45 minutes from the cosmopolitan city of São Paulo and two and a half hours away from the Atlantic Ocean. It is an exclusive beach, located in a condominium, with more than half a kilometer of sand that produces waves every 8 seconds.
Although it is a different stop, as it involves artificial waves, the truth is that this is not a debut nor is it the first time that the world tour crosses a wave pool. Watch:
You see, 26 years ago a complex in Japan gathered bodyboarders form all over the world for the Salem Bodyboard World Cup ’97 which had a total of 20k USD prize money.
Brazilian Guilherme Tâmega won every heat, including the final leaving Australian Eppo as runner up. Fábio Aquino (Brazil) and Ryoichi (Japan) shared an equal third place. Cláudia Santos was the winner on the women side, leaving fellow Brazilian Soraia Rocha in second.
Below, check Fábio Aquino in action, one of the bodyboarding legends and former Brazilian champion, do the welcoming lap at Praia da Grama.
