The promoter of the Frontón King has set up a new organization that will be in charge of running a world bodyboarding tour.
On January 19, 2020, a strange episode took place during the live webcast of the Lurin Pro, in Peru, the first event of the 2020 APB World Tour season.
All of a sudden, the APB logo was replaced by the IBC insignia – a rebellion was taking place to establish a new era in professional bodyboarding.
So, what did exactly happen?
“In October 2019, we had meetings to try to have a smooth, organized transition to run the world tour in 2020,” Hernandez told Movement Mag.
“The Peruvian organizers in Peru were able to fulfill the minimum requirements to host an event in January, including high-quality streaming, and a high number of international riders.”
“However, in January, there were a few disagreements, and the event in Peru was seriously affected by the lack of coverage.”
The organizers of the Frontón King had already had a few clashes with the APB.
In 2018, the Canarian event was removed from the World Tour schedule after a few misunderstandings and conflicts of interest.
A Bright New Era?
Danny Hernandez says that there were also “problems transferring the media assets of the old APB to the new non-profit organization.”
So, the Spanish event promoter decided to found a new body and start a new era in competitive bodyboarding.
“The Association of Professional Bodyboarders (APB) will become a riders’ union to represent the views and interests of the bodyboarders competing on the world tour,” added Hernandez.
The new International Bodyboarding Corporation plans to design a world tour schedule based on three variables – the quality of the wave and the surf spot, the prize money on offer, and the amount of community engagement the event is expected to generate.
Confused? Maybe a bit.
Hernandez also told Movement Mag that he wants events to run for more than ten days to accommodate regional and national competitions, develop of surf tourism, and attract more government investment.
In November 2019, in an exclusive interview with SurferToday.com, Terry McKenna, APB operations manager, revealed that the APB had become a non-profit organization and that the APB World Tour would continue with a few tweaks and changes.
Apparently, the IBC Tour is taking over. SurferToday is waiting for an official comment from McKenna and the APB.
But the birth of the new insignia could’ve been more clear. Is professional competitive bodyboarding about to enter a luminous or dark era?
One thing is certain: the IBC logo doesn’t look good, and the use of the word “corporation” is one of the worst possible choices to represent a non-profit institution.
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