Rising Olympic stars debut on Manly Beach at AOS and Volleyfest

Manly Beach will be the venue for Australia’s rising Olympic hopefuls from four Olympic sports when more than 300 athletes take part in Australian Open of Surfing from Saturday 25 February – Sunday 5 March and 200 athletes participate in Volleyfest from Friday 17 March – Sunday 26 March.

24 February 2017

The Australian Open of Surfing will feature Whale Beach’s surfing up-and-comer, Cedar Leigh-Jones who has Olympic Gold in her sights. She said, “Surfing’s inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is a dream come true for my sport. I’ll have the opportunity to compete against other Olympic hopefuls at Manly’s Australian Open of Surfing, and I can’t wait to see what I’m up against to achieve my dreams,” she said.

The Australian Open of Surfing will also feature skateboarding, ahead of its inclusion in the Olympic Games, including 16-year old professional skateboarder Poppy Olsen who is determined to represent Australia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. She said, “I’m all about encouraging more girls to skate and can’t wait to try out the new custom-designed concrete terrain park during the Vans Park Series at the Australian Open of Surfing. I’ve seen some of the design renders and it looks pretty cool.”

The Australian Open of Surfing at Manly will welcome world-class surfers including 2016 women’s world surfing champion Tyler Wright and Aussie surfing superstar Julian Wilson alongside reigning International Skateboarding Federation (ISF) park terrain World Champion Alex Sorgente and contest hopefuls Chris Russell and Curren Caples.

Not only will visitors enjoy world class skateboarding and surfing, they can also see Australia and the world’s best volleyball players compete when Volleyfest, Australia’s biggest beach volleyball competition since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games takes place in March.

Destination NSW, CEO Sandra Chipchase said Manly was one of the State’s most iconic destinations. She said, “Manly will host three Olympic disciplines in just four weeks. Visitors and fans will get to watch top athletes in an exciting beach location that offers high quality restaurants, waterfront hotels and a range of visitor attractions. These events offer a great reason to visit NSW and explore Manly.”

Manly will also feature a range of family friendly events throughout 2017, including:

Sydney Harbour Challenge presented by Hawaiian Airlines - Saturday 25 and 26 February

For the fourth year in a row, Manly will host Australia’s flagship long-distance outrigger canoe event which is fast becoming one of the most six-person outrigger races on the international calendar. Racing starts from Manly Wharf and will see competitors cross Sydney Harbour, past the Sydney Heads passing iconic landmarks such as Taronga Zoo, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and Luna Park before returning to Manly Wharf. For further information visit www.sydneyharbourchallenge.sydney

Australian Open of Surfing - Saturday 25 February – Sunday 5 March

This nine-day event will attract top surfers including recently-crowned WSL World Champion, Tyler Wright, to the birthplace of Australian surfing, Manly Beach. It is expected to attract more than 325,000 beach-lovers of all ages from across Australia and overseas. The 2017 Australian Open of Surfing will highlight Australian beach culture, surfing skateboarding, live music, art, gourmet food. For more information visit http://www.australianopenofsurfing.com

Volleyfest Sydney – Friday 17 March – Sunday 26 March

Over 200 of the world’s best beach volleyball athletes will compete during the festival of sand, sun and sport. The event will also feature live entertainment, music, DJs, fireworks, celebrity matches and food stands. Volleyfest will include the Women’s World Tour Event on the 17-19 March, the Men’s 4 Nations Invitational on the 21-22 March, and the Australian Beach Volleyball Finals from 24 – 26 March. For more information visit volleyballaustralia.org.au/events/volleyfest

Taste of Manly – Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 May

This is a two day event held along Manly Corso and beach front that features stalls from wineries, breweries and gourmet food providers. Enjoy a tasty bite while live music is played throughout the day. For more information visit www.hellomanly.com.au

Manly Jazz Festival – Saturday 30 September – Monday 2 October

The 40th annual Manly Jazz Festival will be held over the October long weekend with performances from traditional New Orleans jazz to funk, Latin, fusion, blues, gospel, swing and roots. The Manly Jazz festival is a celebration of Australia’s beach culture, good food and great time. For more information visit www.hellomanly.com.au

ENDS

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