Sea Harvest Honours Olympic Surfing Medallist, Bianca Buitendag

Sea Harvest has awarded Tokyo 2020 Olympics surfing medallist, Bianca Buitendag, with a R50 000 cash prize in honour of her achievements at the global sporting event and the promotion of surfing in South Africa. In addition, Sea Harvest has pledged to increase its annual sponsorship of Surfing South Africa (SSA) to continue the development of the sport and junior surfers.

Sea Harvest’s Group Marketing Manager, Jared Patel, says the company’s sponsorship of surfing began in 2017. “We forged a partnership with SSA with the aim of encouraging the participation of historically disadvantaged youth in surfing and to ensure a successful debut of surfing as an official sport at the Olympics.

Over the past four years, we have seen the impact that our sponsorship has had not only in terms of growing participation in the sport but also on junior surfers,” explains Patel, adding that SSA’s leadership and the commitment of role models like Bianca Buitendag have played a critical role in the success achieved.

Sea Harvest’s increased sponsorship of SSA will make it the biggest corporate sponsor of surfing in the country. It will allow SSA to continue its focus on the development of junior surfing and transformation within the sport, as well as identify and support up-and-coming stars, like Zia Hendricks, who can continue Bianca’s legacy at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The financial support will also facilitate the continuation of the annual Sea Harvest Surfing Excellence programme, the traditional Grommet Games, Interclub and schools’ initiatives, surfing outreach projects, capacity development, junior surfing tournaments at venues around the country and the prestigious South African Junior Championships, which are held in Jeffreys Bay each year.

Buitendag has, meanwhile, expressed her extreme gratitude for the recognition and award received from Sea Harvest and has pledged her ongoing commitment to the sport.