More than 100 kitesurfers representing 23 countries and regions took part in the 2014 Kiteboarding World Cup held in Pingtan, Fujian province on Oct 24.

A player rides the waves and winds during the 2014 Kiteboarding World Cup held in Pingtan, Fujian province on Oct 24. [Photo/pingtan.gov.cn]

The event, which lasts from Oct 24 to 29 and with prize money of $50,000, is the penultimate stop of the Professional Kiteboard Riders Association (PKRA) World Tour which has seen 11 such exciting competitions in 11 countries and regions this year.

The elite athletes, including all of the world’s top 20 male and top 10 females in freestyle, will compete in six disciplines: freestyle for men, freestyle for women, men’s slalom, women’s slalom, TT (Twin Tip) race for men and TT race for women.

Five of the players are from Pingtan and caught a lot of attention. Chen Jingle is the most promising to make some noise at the event, as she has recently just won the woman’s TT Race in the Weifang-Binhai International Kiteboarding Tournament in September.

The event is organized by the International Kiteboarding Association and PKRA, and is jointly sponsored by Pingtan and the Fujian provincial Sports Bureau.

Pingtan Island is China’s fifth largest island, covering an area of 371 sq km. It boasts terrific wind conditions for kiteboarding, and which, according to PKRA President Mauricio Toscano, is the very reason the Association decided to bring the event back to Pingtan again.

“The waves are strong. And so it is with the wind, which make Pingtan a paradise for freestyle kiteboarding,” said Robinson Hilario, a competitor from Dominica, echoing Toscano’s sentiment.

Pingtan’s is fairly active in the development of kiteboarding and has hosted three international kiteboarding events in the past few years. Local authorities have pledged to make the sport one of the calling cards for Pingtan.