World Snowboard Federation extends cooperation with the Swatch TTR World Tour

The Swatch TTR Tour and WSF have renewed their successful alliance in order to continue establishing a progressive environment for competitive snowboarding around the world. Under this agreement, the two organizations have decided to extend their cooperation and work closer together to produce a fair and transparent competition and ranking structure to benefit the sport. The new contract has come into effect as of October 2008.

The WSF has recognized, since the beginning, the importance of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour as leading international organization for professional competitive snowboarding and its ideal transparent model for kids and amateurs who wish to enter the competitive scene and build a career as a professional snowboard athlete. “This world alliance will bring the best to the sport of snowboarding at all levels“, stated Marco Sampaoli, event and communication manager for WSF, “Thanks to this renewed cooperation, the WSF National Snowboard Associations will put all their active effort to create the best competitive environment also at the lower level events and bring better practical and communicative support to the TTR ”.

The Swatch TTR Tour acknowledges the importance of developing snowboarding at a grass roots level together with the National Snowboard Associations around the world. “It is important for the TTR World Tour to continue building its true rookie – to pro structure and to support young riders as they are the future of our sport.”, says Alex Doerr, Rankings Manager of the TTR Tour, “The cooperation with WSF has been developing into a well established partnership and will surely be further improved in the upcoming season.”

Since the beginning, the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, a non profit organization with the mission to establish the highest quality competitive snowboard environment in the world, has been cooperating with the World Snowboard Federation (WSF), as an international sports federation governing national snowboard sports associations. Regarding events, this cooperation has always been focusing on creating a strong foundation for snowboarding and a link among all levels of riders: from rookies, and amateurs to professionals.

The above is only one of many reasons for the agreement that was signed in October 2008 between the TTR and WSF. According to this agreement, the WSF and its member nations will manage and develop events on the 1,2, and 3Star levels while the TTR will focus on the 4,5, and 6Star events. New services will be launched by WSF in cooperation with the Swatch TTR Ranking System, such as National Rankings, the World Rookie Rankings, and new event formats.


ABOUT THE SWATCH TTR WORLD SNOWBOARD TTR:
Founded by Terje Haakonsen and industry innovators in 2002, the SWATCH TTR World Snowboard Tour is a non-profit, rider-driven organization with the mission to create the highest quality competitive snowboard environment in the world, using authenticity, accessibility, innovation as guiding principles. Since its foundation, the Swatch TTR Tour has been developing into the most exposed snowboard tour worldwide featuring global grass root and key independent freestyle snowboarding events over a ten-month period from Southern to Northern Hemisphere locations. Events are rated via a 1-through-6Star system, with points allocated accordingly, a 6Star event holds the highest (1000 Swatch TTR points). Any rider participating in these events, from up-and-coming to professional talent, earns ranking points and a position on the SWATCH TTR World Ranking List. The top male and female rider based on an average of their best seven results of the season is crowned SWATCH TTR World Snowboard Tour Champion.

ABOUT THE WORLD SNOWBOARD FEDERATION
WSF is the only international organisation exclusively working to develop and taking care for the sport of snowboard at all levels including, competitions and education, disable and adaptive snowboarding, snowboard activities for riders of any age. WSF represent a network of national snowboard associations which cooperate world wide for the sport development. Members find in WSF a source of inspiration and support at their activities. WSF can create added value for everybody involved in snowboard on national level and can offer ideas, manuals and initiatives as a result of being together in one organization with the same goal: progression of snowboarding at all levels. www.worldsnowboardfederation.org