Surf organization 'Raajje Bodyboarding', in collaboration with Maldives Bodyboarding Association (MBBA) and Maldives Surfing Association (MSA) have decided to host three competitions across Maldives.
At the sponsorship signing ceremony, local business 'Sea Sports' signed an agreement to sponsor three competitions planned to be held at Fuvahmulah City, Laamu Atoll and Raa Atoll's Rasmaadhoo, in 2019.
The agreement was signed by top-ranking bodyboarder Ali Khushruwan and former MSA president Ahmed Fauzan, on behalf of Raajje Bodyboarding and Sea Sports respectively.
The organization has yet to confirm the dates for the planned competition in Laamu Atoll and Raa Atoll.
In accordance with its vision to develop future athletes, the grom (young surfer) only competition 'Eleyi's 2019' will take place in Fuvahmulah between April 5 and 6, featuring participants aged 18 and below.
Much like 'Eleyi's 2019', the competition in Rasmaadhoo will be exclusively for groms.
The competition will be the second instalment in the series, the first of which was held in 2018, receiving a largely positive response.
Prior to the event, an extensive training program will be conducted between April 3 and 4, focusing on the professional, competitive and theoretical aspects of bodyboarding.
Khushruwan expressed his hopes to witness skilful individuals in Eleyi's adding that Raajje Bodyboarding will continue to prioritize the development of young and upcoming talents.
Although surfing remains comparatively underfunded in Maldives, the sport continues to bring in numerous top level accomplishments in international level competitions, bagging the most amount of gold medals for the country.
This includes the recent victory at the Tioman Surf Festival held in Malaysia, where local bodyboarding champions Khushruwan and Ali Javed secured first and second place respectively in the bodyboard open division.
This is the third instance where Khushruwan has earned first place at the competition. Similarly, Javed notched multiple victories to his name at Tioman, including first place in 2014.
Surfing is also an important sector within the tourism industry and is the only sport that generates such revenue for the country.
Efforts by the Maldives Surfing Association and Olympics Committee to train and send athletes to take part in the 2020 Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan are currently underway.
The closing of legendary surf spot 'Raalhugandu' of capital Male in 2016 hindered the training of professional athletes for two years until the Sinamale Bridge was completed and opened in September 2018.
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