8,100 COMPETITORS TO CELEBRATE ‘AUSSIES' RETURN TO KURRAWA

aussie champs logo.jpgMarch 16: More than 8,100 competitors will converge on Kurrawa on the Gold Coast this week for the Whereis® Australian Surf Life Saving Championships 2010.

Competitors from every State in Australia as well as international competitors from New Zealand, Japan, France and Wales will make the six-day extravaganza a reason to celebrate another successful Surf Life Saving season.

Fierce competition is already underway with the first of two days of Masters who have shown that age does not weary them, conquering testing two metre conditions which has already seen the likes of Olympian Daniel Kowalski back in the surf with the Lorne club from Victoria.

Kowalski will be joined by a host of big name stars, including fellow Olympian Ky Hurst, who will be chasing his seventh Australian open surf race championship and his fifth Australian Ironman title.

Clubs from all round Australia will display their club colours in a week that sees surf lifesavers celebrate another season of vigilance and service.

Surf Life Saving Australia President Ron Rankin AM said: "The ‘Aussies" caps off another busy summer of patrolling for our volunteer surf lifesavers and is the time of year where we can all come together to celebrate.

"Surf Life Saving is delighted to be back on the Gold Coast at Kurrawa after three successful years at Scarborough in WA.

 "Our renewed partnership with the Queensland Government through Queensland Events will see ‘The Aussies' held on the Gold Coast from 2010 to 2012, after which there will be an opportunity to rotate the event every two years, making the Gold Coast a semi-permanent venue for ‘The Aussies' through to 2022.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Queensland Government, Whereis, Gold Coast City Council, Surf Life Saving Queensland and Kurrawa Surf Life Saving Club for their continued contribution to the running of this world-class event."

Queensland Tourism Minister and Member for Southport, Peter Lawlor, said he was thrilled about the return of ‘The Aussies' to Kurrawa.

"2010 is the first in a landmark 13 year agreement between Surf Life Saving Australia and the Queensland Government through Queensland Events," Mr Lawlor said.

"This means until 2022, even though they may make guest appearances in other States, the Gold Coast is where ‘The Aussies' call ‘home'.

"Congratulations to all surf life savers who have travelled from Australia's 306 surf life saving clubs - your skill and spirit really are inspiring to us all."

Competition gets underway today with the first of two days of the Masters, with senior competition for under 15s to opens beginning on Thursday and culminating in the major finals on Sunday.