Orascom Hotels and Developments (OHD) announced recently that it is honored to host the 2016 Kitesurfing World Championship in El Gouna on March 20th – 27th, during a press conference, held at the Olympic Village, and attended by H.E. Eng. Khaled Abd El Aziz, the Egyptian Minister of Sports and Youth, Mr. Ahmed Shokry, Head of Planning and Follow up Department at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, Mr. Medhat Khalil, President of the Egyptian Sailing Federation in addition to Mr. Markus Schewendtner, Chief Executive Officer of the International Kitesurfing Association and Mr. Mahmoud El Baroudi, General Manager of El Gouna, Orascom Development Group.
El Gouna will play host to a myriad of top riders, seasoned veterans, and even some newcomers to the competitive scene looking to compare their talents with the best in the world in front of hundreds of onlookers and kiting enthusiasts. Mr. Mahmoud El Baroudi, General Manager of El Gouna, stated, in his welcoming note, that “along with the impressive skill of international professional riders will culminate in an extraordinary world cup, one that will enthrall and attract the attention of countless individuals at the biggest Kitesurfing event in the world.” Mr. El Baroudi added “We are honored to welcome the world to Gouna and we are dedicated to ensuring that El Gouna continues to play host to elite sporting events of all sizes in the years ahead”
Participants will include the World Champions in the disciplines of Freestyle, Big Air, Wave and Slalom being crowned at each disciplines final event of the season. According to Mr. Markus Schewendtner, Chief Executive Officer of the International Kitesurfing Association the governing body for the sport of Kitesurfing “The El Gouna competition will be the first event in the 2016 IKA World Championship Tour. We expect world class riders will take part and compete for the free style 40000 Euros prize money and the Big Air 10000 Euros prize money, In both cases the El Gouna competition will deliver 1,000 points towards the 2016 Kitesurfing World Championships ranking, thereby forming, an important part on the way to the 2016 World Championship titles”
