Sassari native Marco “Bonga” Pistidda has been named coach of the Italian national team at the ISA World Para Surfing Championships, scheduled from November 19 to 22 in Palm Desert, California. It will be his return to a world championship after competing in 2008, this time in the role of supporting Italy’s athletes.
Eighteen years ago, Pistidda competed in longboard at the World Championships in Costa da Caparica, Portugal. Today, his work also involves training and inclusive sport: in 2014, he founded the Bonga Surf School, through which he promotes sports, educational and surf therapy activities, including for people with mobility and interpersonal difficulties. Cristiano Corsi is responsible for coordinating the national team’s adaptive surfing program.
The California competition will take place at DSRT Surf, in an artificial lagoon in the desert. Wavegarden Cove technology can produce programmable, repeatable waves, creating more controlled conditions than the ocean and reducing variations caused by wind, currents and tides. Around 140 athletes from 24 countries are expected to compete across nine sport classes, from standing categories to those for surfers who compete seated or lying down, as well as athletes with visual impairments.
- November 16 and 17: athlete classifications.
- November 19: opening ceremony.
- November 20 to 22: competition.
The event is part of the push for possible Paralympic recognition of para surfing, with the aim of bringing the sport to the Brisbane 2032 Games. In Sassari, meanwhile, the school is SurFedAUT’s Italian partner, working on good practices and safety criteria to make surfing more accessible to autistic people. This work complements other local initiatives dedicated to sport and inclusion.
Between Sassari and Alghero, in Villa Assunta, Pistidda is also working on the Bonga Surf Factory, which is expected to be established in the former social centre of the hamlet. The approximately 270-square-metre building was awarded by the municipality through a call for proposals for social promotion activities by third-sector organizations. The project includes spaces for athletic training, surf therapy, motor rehabilitation, cultural gatherings and social initiatives, as well as accommodation for athletes, professionals and researchers. According to the organizers, the centre could open in spring 2027, once renovation work is complete.