The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) recently launched a new exhibit at the Sports Visitor Centre in Canberra which pays tribute to the remarkable success and achievements of Australian surfing.

The exhibit displays memorabilia from some of Australia’s top surfing champions such as Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore who are excelling in the sport.

In fact, Australian surfers represent 50 per cent of all competitors on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour. Australia is also a breeding ground for surfing administrators, coaches and officials who support the world tour.

The exhibit showcases some unique memorabilia from Australia’s best surfing champions including:

• the full-body wetsuit worn by Mick Fanning in competition at world titles including Jeffrey’s Bay in South Africa
• the surfboard used by Stephanie Gilmore to win the 2007 US Open, her 2008 Women’s Rip Curl Pro trophy and her rash vest worn at world tour events and a signed cap.

The exhibit shows how Gilmore has become one of the rising stars of women’s surfing and the first Australian to win a world title as a rookie professional. She is currently ranked number one on the world surfing tour.

Gilmore follows Layne Beachley, who is regarded as the best female professional surfer in history having won the world championship seven times.

Other highlights of the exhibit include the exploits and successes of Fanning who became World Champion in 2007. He became the first surfer in the history of the World Tour to lead the rankings for the entire year.

Australia enjoys great depth and success in surfing. Australian surfers have achieved almost double the amount of professional surfing tour victories (629) compared to their nearest rivals, the United States (357) and Hawaii (241). Thirteen Australians (seven women and six men) were ranked in the top ten of the Association of Surfing Professional (ASP) World Tour in 2007.

These surfing champions are inspiring more Australians to get involved in the sport. It is estimated about 2.5 million Australians, or one third of the population, have had an active interest in surfing.