Australia to Build an Inland Surf Park Before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
January 24, 2017
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Why does the 8th ranked country in the world by coastline need an artificial surf pool? With over 16,000 miles (25,760 km) of coastline, Australia is a world leader in… waves. Surfers from all over the globe flock to the land down under for the surf experience of a lifetime.
That may very well be the case, but that doesn’t mean that a surf pool wouldn’t just add to Australia’s booming surfing tourism. And besides, we already know that NLand Surf Park in Texas is a huge hit, and the Southern hemisphere needs to align itself with the Northern one!
Apparently, one of the main reasons why an Australian surf park is in the making is to aid its surfers to get ready for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, where, for the first time ever, surfing is an event.
The surf park is going to be built by Wave Park Group and it’s not going to be just one, but 10 surf parks! If the name of the company sounds familiar, it’s because they already built one of the most famous surf parks in the world, the above mentioned Texas NLand Surf Park.
Andy King, surfing Australia’s national coach, highlighted the importance of a surf park for the athletes, saying that “Three days in that pool is equivalent to three months’ ocean training”. It’s because the waves are almost always perfect, so you know that every single time you get in the water, you’ll be served an awesome swell.
Wave Park Group founder, Andre Ross, a former investment banker and surfer, said that “The problem for surfers is we are beholden to Mother Nature. Man-made surf parks will do for surfing what chairlifts did for winter sports in the middle of the 20th century. […] The sport is due to explode over the next few years as more parks open and surfing becomes a medal sport for the first time in the Tokyo Olympics”.
Andrew King and his company aren’t the only well-known surf park developers. Surf legend Kelly Slater and his company, the Kelly Slater Wave Company have already created a wave pool that uses a different science, which took over 7 years to create.
It’s obvious that surfing is a sport that is gaining more and more attention. With it becoming an Olympic sport and the surf parks popping up all over the world, we’re expecting more people turn to surfing for fun, workout, and relaxation!
Do you have to practice your surfing before the 2020 Olympics? Then how about you go on a surf camp in Australia and maybe catch a glimpse of the inland surf park?!