The 2020 Taiwan Open of Surfing is entering its 10th anniversary this year. The five-day competition will be held in Jinzun Harbor in Taitung County during 18-22 November. While most international surfing contests this year have been canceled or postponed until further notice due to the pandemic, Taiwan has excelled at beating COVID-19 with minimal disruption to daily life. Since the outbreak, Taitung's status of zero coronavirus case contributes to Magistrate April Yao's decision to proceed with this year's Taiwan Open of Surfing as scheduled. The winning prize of 800,000 New Taiwan Dollar (about US$26,600) marks the highest accolade in Taiwan's surfing competition history. With this, the event organizer hopes to boost publicity for the Taiwan Open of Surfing and continue to share this special event with the world.Taitung County bordering of the Pacific Ocean sets a slow pace for locals and visitors to enjoy its mild climate and fresh air. These factors along with consistent surf make Taitung the perfect location to hold a surfing competition. The Taitung County Government has collaborated with the World Surfing League (WSL) to host the Taiwan Open of Surfing in Jinzun since 2011. This international surfing competition has attracted over 30 different countries' top competitors over the years. This year the contest will continue to cooperate with the WSL as they have agreed to provide remote support to ensure the event adheres to the strict WSL international tournament standards - from competition pre-planning, scoring, live broadcasting, etc. Once the world recovers from COVID-19, Taitung hopes to continue with the WSL to host this grand world-class surfing event long into the future.
The Taitung County Government has been actively promoting various ocean activities and events - such as beach cleanups, surfing lessons, marine life education, local hand-craft markets, kite surfing and windsurfing demonstrations, and many more ocean-themed activities to encourage the general public's participation. All participants can experience first-hand Taitung's unique allure and its picturesque surroundings. Official website: https://www.taiwanopenofsurfing.org/tw