The tip of the waves is soaring, dancing and vibrant Landao - Pingtan is committed to creating a kitesurfing international "blue business card"

Chase the wind and waves, gallop the blue sky. The 9th Pingtan International Kitesurfing Festival is in full swing, and kite surfers from all over the world gather on Arashido to carry out a "fast and furious" at sea.

Since 2012, Pingtan has held a number of international kitesurfing competitions in a row, and its superior natural conditions have been recognized by the international kitesurfing community. At present, Pingtan is planning to accelerate the development of kitesurfing from the aspects of base construction, talent cultivation, and sports promotion, and strive to polish this dynamic "blue business card".

Chase the "wind" to come

Excellent conditions with fire kitesurfing

"Margo" is a veritable "wind chaser". He often comes to Pingtan to practice kite surfing, because the wind here is strong enough. From the beginning of coming once a month to the last four times a month, he said that he had become a "trapeze artist" in Pingtan. "Kitesurfing has particularly high requirements for wind, and Pingtan has unique natural conditions."

Lin Wenliang, vice president of the Pingtan Kitesurfing Sports Association, said that the best season for kitesurfing in Pingtan is from May to November, and this year's competition also added aerial fancy events, which greatly improved the ornamentation.

Pingtan is located in one of the world's three major wind outlets, strong and persistent wind, in the past ten years has accumulated a large number of kitesurfing enthusiasts fans. In Lin Wenliang's view, more and more people are pursuing personalized experiences, so extreme sports and outdoor sports have risen in large numbers, and kite surfing has gradually entered the public vision.

According to incomplete statistics, during this year's National Day, nearly 40 students have come to Pingtan to learn a complete kitesurfing course, and there are more than 100 players. "Kitesurfing is not a high barrier to entry, it just takes time." Li Xiang, coach of the Pingtan Kitesurfing Sports Association, said that some kitesurfing enthusiasts who come to Pingtan to experience are "weekend groups" and some are "flying groups", and they are all attracted by the sport. In order to adapt to the development trend of tourism, the association plans to launch a "double flying" project, that is, the coach takes tourists to fly, in order to further reduce the experience threshold of tourists and let more people take the "first step" of sea sports.

Ride the "wind" upwards

International tourism islands add new vitality

The hydrofoil kiteboard project is the first competition of the 9th Pingtan International Kitesurfing Festival and one of the Olympic games.

On December 8, 2020, the International Olympic Committee decided to include hydrofoil kiteboarding in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, bringing new development opportunities for kitesurfing promotion. In the eyes of many professionals, Pingtan has great potential for kitesurfing.

Kitesurfing, as an international maritime sport, is very much in line with the development concept of Pingtan International Tourism Island. "On the beach, you will often meet foreign faces, all of whom come to Pingtan, which also adds new vitality to Pingtan." Lin Wenliang said.

As Lin Wenliang said, making full use of the advantages of Pingtan to hold high-level kitesurfing competitions will not only help the promotion and popularization of kitesurfing, but also fit the development idea of "sports + tourism" in the construction of Pingtan International Tourism Island, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

Go with the flow and ride the wind. At present, the experimental area is planning to accelerate the construction of a kite surfing base, plan 60 acres of land in the Junshan area, and build a training base including an athlete training center, which will be built in two phases.

"Strive to build a kitesurfing base rescue base early next year, and first meet the activities and training needs of kitesurfing enthusiasts." Zhang Chuanhui, deputy director of the Tourism and Culture and Sports Bureau of the Experimental Zone, said that at the same time, the construction progress will be accelerated, and the first phase will be completed in June next year, when one of the kitesurfing bases with the most complete equipment and the best conditions will be built.

According to reports, after the completion of the base, it can not only provide a training base for professional athletes, but also normalize the development of various kitesurfing activities, help to enhance the public participation of kitesurfing, and create a good atmosphere for the construction of Pingtan International Tourism Island.

Borrow the "wind" to cultivate talents

Cultivate high-quality kitesurfing talents

How far is Pingtan from the Olympics? "Participating in the Olympic Games to win glory for the country is every athlete's dream." Pingtan sports star Chen Jingle is one of the participants in the competition, and when she returns to her hometown to compete, she hopes to maintain a good attitude and enjoy the happiness brought by this sport.

As the first Chinese kiteboarder to win the title of "International Athlete", Chen Jingle has won numerous awards and is the main member of the national team. At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, she is in sight.

Chen Jingle's sports career started in Pingtan, and she never forgot her hometown. "Sometimes when I go abroad to compete, I'm the only Chinese player, and these foreign players are surprised to see asian faces, ask me where I'm from, where I'm training, and I'm proud to say I'm from Pingtan." She said.

As a kitesurfing holy land, Pingtan attracts domestic and foreign kiteboarders and enthusiasts to gather here for competitive exchanges all year round with its very characteristic natural resources and wind conditions, and has also cultivated a group of outstanding athletes such as Chen Jingle to send talents to the country.

Chen Jingle's coach Deng Xiaocheng said that pingtan development of kitesurfing has a favorable time and place, and hopes to improve the supporting facilities at the same time, can cultivate more local players like Chen Jingle.

At present, Pingtan is also planning to use its own advantages to vigorously cultivate kitesurfing related talents. "Promote kitesurfing into the campus, promote kitesurfing into the national fitness movement, and let this sport better take root in Pingtan." Zhang Chuanhui said that it plans to design projects and carriers suitable for the activities of different groups of people, increase the training of kitesurfing instructor groups, and continuously create a "blue business card" for kitesurfing.

Source: Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone Rong Media Center