Kite surfers from across the region showed off some gravity-defying moves during a major competition in Bahrain.

The second Red Bull Kite The Waj was originally set to be held over two days, but took place over the course of the morning and afternoon yesterday (June 4) due to optimum weather conditions, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Teams of two competed in several rounds and were judged on air time, grab tricks and rotations, with a special free-ride round where they displayed different stunts.

The two-member judging panel were Ruben Lenten, an international Red Bull athlete and renowned freestyle kite surfer, and Egyptian Red Bull athlete Karim Shawky.

“The competition started last year in order to bring amateur athletes together and hold a fun event for them,” Lenten told the GDN.

“To keep it light, it’s held with two-man teams.

“There are four rounds and they start with the jumps, then the grab tricks, the rotations and finally the free-ride round.

“It’s fun to see them push hard for the competition and crash in interesting ways.

“They’re pushing harder because it is a competition and some of them are nervous.”

The competition included 10 teams from Bahrain, the UAE, Oman and Egypt, and the winners will be announced tomorrow at Amwaj Islands.

“It’s been a lot of fun and the guys are really pushing,” said Shawky.

“They’re better than I expected, they did lots of great tricks.

“The team that will win will need to show the most amount of variety, height and style.

“It’s important to hold competitions like this to spread the sport and make it more known.

“There’s still a lot of people who don’t know anything about kite surfing, but we want to show the Middle East what they’ve got.” - TradeArabia News Service