ISA world junior surfing championships have started

The 2008 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Hossegor and Seignosse began on Sat 24th May.

Despite some flight disruptions, the delegations from the 28 competing countries have arrived safely in France. For some nations, the journey was long and tiring - up to 40 hours for the Australians - and plenty of teams are still waiting for their boards, which went missing en route.

Altogether, some 290 surfers under the age of 18 – a record - have come together on the coast of south-west France, to see battle commence in this major event on the international surfing scene.

All the continents will be represented in France this year, with the great surfing nations, including Australia, Brazil, the United States, South Africa and Hawaii., Rubbing shoulders with them are a number of emerging surfing countries, such as Israel, Barbados, Canada and Germany, which is sending a full team for the first time, and even Senegal, making its debut in the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.

This United Nations of junior surfing will be one of the highlights of surfing year. I love to attend the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships. It’s our surfing way of showing the world that peaceful coexistence is a very reachable goal” said exhausted but excited International Surfing Association President, Fernando Aguerre.

Two of the Northcore sponsored Junior riders, Lewis Clinton and Kathleen Spears, are competing in the comp. We'll be bringing you updates on the event here (which is postponed today) or to follow the UK teams progress log onto http://www.isaworldchamp.com/