26/03/07
Top Australian and international surfers have taken to the waves in Margaret River for Western Australia's annual Drug Aware Pro.
Tourism Minister Sheila McHale said that this year the event carried a six-star World Qualifying Series (WQS) rating and featured 250 of the world's best male and female surfers.
Ms McHale said more than 15,000 surf fans were expected at Surfers Point to watch top-rated surfers from the World Championship Tour vying for rating points and prize money totalling $197,000.
"The Drug Aware Pro Margaret River has been part of WA and world surfing culture for more than 20 years," she said.
"The event will be televised to millions of people in 48 different countries, and 600,000 viewers are expected to watch the event live on the Internet."
The Minister said the State Government had invested $415,000 into the 2007 Drug Aware Pro Margaret River.
This included $245,000 from EventsCorp and the remainder from naming rights sponsor Healthway and the Department of Sport and Recreation.
Ms McHale said the event was expected to pump $1.8million into the WA economy.
"Margaret River is known for its big waves and challenging breaks, and this year we expect bigger crowds because of the Pro's six-star status - something that has gained national and international recognition," she said.
"This event showcases many of our iconic tourist attractions, including surf beaches, award-winning wineries and gourmet food."
Some of the top surfers competing include last year's champ Mark 'Occy' Occhilupo; local favourite and last year's finalist Jake Paterson; WA's own Melanie Redman-Carr, ranked second in the world; and Claire Bevilacqua, ranked seventh - as well as exciting young talents like Jordy Smith, who is the current World Junior Champion.
The event runs from March 26 - April 1 and you can see it live at http://www.drugawarepro.com.
Minister's office - 9213 6900
