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City Surf Series Postponed Due To Covid-19

by with No Comment Press Releases

Accelerate Sport today announced that the City Surf Series has been postponed due to the President Cyril Ramaphosa’s declaration of a National Disaster due to the Covid-19 outbreak in South Africa.

The decision to postpone the tournament is to comply with the recommendation by SASCOC to postpone competitions of 100 people. With that in mind, the decision to postpone was made in order to protect the local and international surfers, the event staff, their families as well as the surfing fans and the general public.

The 2020 City Surf Series was scheduled to start on the 11th of April. However, given the unfortunate circumstances, Accelerate Sport, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA) have reached an agreement to suspend the tournament until it is safe to do so.

Daniel Quinta, CEO of Accelerate Sport said in a statement, “Considering the increasing risks of spreading Coronavirus, we have no choice but to suspend the City Surf Series until further notice. This pandemic poses a huge threat to the well-being of everyone involved, and their health is our top priority. We wish all those affected a speedy recovery”.

Accelerate Sport hope that the Series will be able to return in the latter half of 2020, with a summer series now on the cards. The situation will be monitored on a weekly basis, with a decision on dates to be made in the near future.

About City Surf Series
The City Surf Series is a collaboration between Surfing South Africa (SSA), the World Surf League (WSL) and Accelerate Sport which aims to provide competitive WSL Qualifying Series events for local South African surfers.

About the WSL
The World Surf League (WSL), established in 1976, is the enablement platform for surfing and surfers worldwide. The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke.

The WSL is a global organization, headquartered in Santa Monica and with regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA. The WSL possesses a deep appreciation for the sport’s rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation, and performance at the highest levels.
The WSL is comprised of Tours & Events, celebrating the world’s best surfers across all disciplines and annually running more than 180 global contests and crowning the undisputed World Champions across all divisions; WSL WaveCo, where innovation meets experience; and WSL Studios, which offers best in class storytelling across competition, lifestyle, and conservation.

About Surfing South Africa (SSA)
Surfing South Africa is the governing body for the sport in South Africa and is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), the African Surfing Confederation (ASC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA).


For further information, please contact:
Media & PR: Katleho Mashego – Accelerate Sport
+27 (0)63 224 0268
katleho@acceleratesport.com
www.acceleratesport.com

Daniel Quinta - CEO - Accelerate Sport

Daniel Quinta Appointed CEO of Accelerate Sport

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As part of its strategy to strengthen its client services, operations and to drive growth, Accelerate Sport has today announced the appointment of Daniel Quinta as the new CEO, effective 1 February 2020. He succeeds Edward Gregory, who has recently moved to the UK where he has joined global e-sports powerhouse, Fnatic.


Commenting on his new role, Daniel said, “I’m honoured and grateful to have been given the opportunity to lead this exceptional organisation of young, creative and talented professionals. We continuously strive to provide sponsors and clients with the platform to create a meaningful impact in the sports market. We believe that true value lies beyond just cricket, rugby and soccer, that is why we work with federations that are not restricted by traditional norms. Our passion is to empower women’s sport, and I look forward to helping them reach the heights they deserve”.


Born in Rustenburg where he attended school at Fields College, Daniel later went on to earn a BCom Honours degree in Recreation and Sport Management from the University of Pretoria. He joined Accelerate in August 2015 as a Sales and Marketing Executive, and then later moved on to Head of Marketing. With his impressive track record of strong leadership and industry knowledge, Daniel has been responsible for a great portion of Accelerate’s success over the years. In essence, Daniel will now be responsible for growing the business and expanding the model beyond the current scope. He will also continue to play a key role in developing dynamic content for federations and create new opportunities and value for sponsors.


“Daniel is a perfect fit for the role to lead our brand into the future, given his wonderful personal growth, strong command of our business and proven ability to drive results in the sport market”, said Gary Grant, Managing Director of Accelerate. He further added, “We are on a positive growth course and well positioned to continue building on our strong momentum. I’m pleased that Daniel will lead our organisation to ensure a seamless transition of growth and market leadership, he thoroughly deserves it”

City Surf Series - Ian Thurtell 5

City Surf Series Welcomes Thirsti

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The City Surf Series heads back to Cape Town for the first time since 2018 in a refreshed event that will see it become the first ever multiple venue surfing tournament on the World Surf League.

In a welcome boost to the City Surf Series and the City of Cape Town, Accelerate Sport have today announced Thirsti Water as the new title sponsor of Cape Town Pro. This will mark the return of the series to the city where it all began back in 2016. As part of the partnership, Thirsti will become the official water across all City Surf Series for 2020.

The City Surf Series is a series of surfing events by Accelerate Sport in collaboration with Surfing South Africa (SSA) and the World Surf League (WSL) which aims to provide competitive WSL Qualifying Series events for local South African surfers. This provides them with the opportunity to compete in, earn valuable WSL QS ranking points, all while earning prize money without the hassle and expensive of having to travel overseas. The Series also attracts a large contingency of International surfers seeking the same objectives but enjoying South Africa’s rich surf destinations and enjoyable currency.

Commenting on the significance of this partnership, Bronwen Blunden, Sponsorship Manager of Thirsti Water said, “The City Surf Series is a perfect partner for Thirsti considering our shared vision to develop local surf talent and steering them to the world stage”. We look forward to welcoming some of the best up and coming talent to our shores and providing the platform for our locals to compete against them. She added, “Cape Town is a strategic opportunity for us and the event will put us on the path of making a contribution to the local communities”.

The Thirsti Cape Town Pro will also become the only mobile event on the WSL calendar, which will see the event change venue across Cape Town over a 5-day waiting period. This unique event will result in the best surfing conditions being selected across each different venue on 3 selected days, in providing the best stage for surfers to compete in. The event may also be become the first ever to be held across two oceans should the conditions cater for it.

“We are pleased to welcome Thirsti Water to our growing family of key sponsors and partners. They already have a strong brand presence in the market with a high-profile of brand associations, and we are looking forward to sharing successes with them”, said Gary Grant, Managing Director of Accelerate Sport. “Our partnership will provide additional exposure and awareness for the sport and deliver broader audience reach.”

About City Surf Series
The City Surf Series is a collaboration between Surfing South Africa (SSA), the World Surf League (WSL) and Accelerate Sport which aims to provide competitive WSL Qualifying Series events for local South African surfers.

Squash

Growthpoint SA Open Heads To Cape Town

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The Growthpoint SA Open is South Africa’s showcase squash tournament after being relaunched in 2017 having lied dormant for 15 years.

The Professional Squash Association (PSA) sanctioned tournament sees South Africa’s top athletes take on some of the best squash players from across the world from the likes of Egypt, England, France, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and Nigeria.

The 2019 event will head to Cape Town in a spectacular all-glass squash court in the middle of the V&A Waterfront from the 5th to the 10th of August. 24 men and 24 women will all compete for the spoils in the PSA Challenger Tour events. The winners will automatically earn a place into the PSA World Championships which will be hosted in Egypt and Qatar for the women and men respectively, the most prestigious event on the world tour.

President of Squash South Africa, Steve Doeg, notes the announcement is a major coup for Squash SA and highlights the impact that commercial partners such as Growthpoint have on the game. “Having this event as a PSA World Championships Qualifier gives it a major boost that will no doubt increase the calibre of entries as players look to secure their spots in the World Champs. This is an incredible opportunity for all our local squash players and would not have been possible without the Growthpoint’s continued support of Squash in this country,” adds Steve.

The Growthpoint SA Open will be the crowning glory of a trio of major events in South Africa over the coming months. The Growthpoint Nationals will kick off the season in Brooklyn Mall in June in the all-glass court, followed by the world’s largest squash provincial tournament, the Growthpoint Interprovincial, in July taking place across Durban. The Growthpoint SA Open will then head to Cape Town for the where the world of squash will have all eyes on the V&A Waterfront.

Nadine Kuzmanich, Head of Marketing and Communication of title sponsor Growthpoint Properties, is thrilled with the added importance of the competition. “The relaunch of this competition coincided with Growthpoint’s first year sponsoring Squash SA, and we are thrilled that the Growthpoint SA Open has so quickly become a world-class even on the international stage. Kudos to Squash SA for this remarkable achievement, made in just two short years. The great international exposure it creates for South Africa, local squash talent and the Growthpoint brand only reinforces our decision to extend our sponsorship of the growing sport of Squash in South Africa,” says Kuzmanich

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