Who is the best of them all
The King of Nelson Mandela Bay is an exciting group of elimination races for the best 20 athletes in their field.
2011 will see 5 disciplines being contested; these being Malibu Board, Beach Sprints, Beach Flags, Men's Swim and Ladies Swim.
"The King of the Nelson Mandela Bay event in South Africa takes an even more strategic mano-a-mano approach of competitive racing.
In an innovative race arrangement, finalists are pit together in a single heat over a sprint course. The slowest finalists in each heat are eliminated as the field is whittled down. This knock-down, get-up-and-go event provides only limited rest between heats as the heats alternate between male and female rounds (swim) or Sprints, flags and Malibu rounds. After four elimination rounds, the fastest four finalists end up racing in the final for prize money. The event is a tough test of one’s sprinting speed, overall endurance and racing strategy." Steven Munatones, World Open Water Swimming Association (www.worldopenwater.com)
The King of the Bay concept
The 20 best participants in each of the categories are selected from a qualifying round which is held immediately before round 1 of the King of the Bay events.
The top 20 athletes in each of the categories will then line up for the King/Queen of the Bay challenge.
Each challenge will consist of 5 rounds. At the end of every round, the last four to cross the line are eliminated from the race. There will be a short break (2-4 min) between each round. In round 5, the remaining 4 will race it out for the top 3 cash prizes.
Tactically, the real racing happens at the back of the field. With participants at the front racing steadily and those behind moving up on the elimination rounds to find a safe spot, the race favours participants with nerve and patience. Speed and the ability to catch waves when it really counts will be key.
Nelson Mandela Bay Splash Festival
Africa's largest Easter beach festival takes place at Hobie Beach Port Elizabeth from Friday 22nd April through to Monday 25th April 2011. Check out the website
www.splashfestival.com to see the full list of exciting events and entertainment which will be on offer this year to captivate over 600,000 visitors to the festival.