Surfing aces converge in cloud 9

SIARGAO, Philippines — A wave can put an island on the world map. For 10 days, one reef break will carry a whole community and a whole country onto the global stage.

From Oct. 30 to Nov. 8, the World Surf League (WSL) Philippines Pro Championship Tour, presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), brings 40 of the sport’s elite to Cloud 9.

For Philippine sports tourism, this is the moment the island has been paddling toward with a lineup that sells a destination.

The field is a billboard no campaign could build. World No. 1 Yago Dora of Brazil, Italy’s Leonardo Fioravanti, Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi, and Brazilian heavyweights Italo Ferreira, Miguel Pupo, Gabriel Medina and Filipe Toledo are showcased on the men’s side.

Equally impressive is the women’s side with Australia’s top-ranked Molly Picklum, US sensation Caroline Marks, rising talent Erin Brooks, and Hawaii’s Gabriela Bryan.

PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio, also the chairman of the National Sports Tourism Inter-Agency Committee (NST-IAC), was unequivocal that the biggest tourism events are sports events such as the WSL CT, and their value extends far beyond competition.

``Sports tourism is more than staging competitions. It is a powerful platform that showcases destinations, drives local economies, inspires communities, and places the Philippines on the global map,’’ said Gregorio.