Sintra, Portugal – September 1, 2026
Portuguese waters just made history again with the launch of the Sintra Bodyboard Fest 2026—the longest-running event in world bodyboarding history. Praia Grande showed up in full force to host two stacked divisions for this historic IBC World Tour stop: the Women Prime Series and the Men Rising Series.
Things kicked off at 10:00 AM local time with fun, mid-sized waves that made for an action-packed opening day.
Women’s Division: Locals Hold It Down, International Riders Shine
In Round 1 of the Women Prime Series, the local crew used their home-court advantage to perfection. Portuguese riders Maria Padrela, Carolina Pedro, and reigning Junior World Champ Alice Teotonio dominated their heats to move on. That said, Japan’s Haruka Yasumi stole the show for the highest total score, dropping an 11.50 to take the top spot alongside countrywoman Miku Okazawa.
Round 2 was a high-stakes elimination round to squeeze into the main event (Round 3), and it brought pure drama:
• Sara Abiko (JPN): Scored the highest single wave of the day for the women (7.00) after stringing together solid maneuvers all the way to the beach.
• Maira Viana (BRA): The World Champ looked insanely solid, proving once again why she’s a heavy favorite for the title.
• Luana Dourado & Teresa Padrela (POR): Held it down for Portugal, putting on super impressive performances to lock in their main-draw spots.
Men’s Rising Series: The Rodrigo Lopes Show
Round 1 belonged to local Portuguese rider Rodrigo Lopes. Lopes pulled off the air of the day—a massive right-hand backflip—earning an 8.75 (the highest wave score of the entire day). He backed it up with a 7.50 to post a massive 16.25 heat total, the best of the session.
Other heat winners moving straight to Round 2 include:
• Spain: Alex Sebastian, Ethan Pérez, and Nil Duño
• France: Arthur Buggle and Ilan Chouard
• Portugal: Frederico Castelo and Miguel Ferreira
Call for tomorrow: Event organizers set the next call for Wednesday, September 2, at 8:00 AM local time.
• Watch Live: Catch all the action worldwide at www.ibcworldtour.com.
Sponsors and Partners:
Câmara Municipal de Sintra, SMAS de Sintra, Federação Portuguesa de Surf, Junta de Freguesia de Colares, Prime School, Arribas Sintra Hotel, F. Marques e Filhos, ADP Publicidade, Fun Cosmetics, Essence Cosmetics, URSU9, WSgroup, Boogie Chiks, Bodyboard Vintage Portugal, Hexa Boards, SEA DREAMERS, Bodyboard Center BC+, DK WARS PT.
Media Partners:
Mega Hits, A Bola, MEO Beachcam, Linkmedia Produções, Vertmagazine.
Follow the Tour:
Don’t miss a beat of the 30th Sintra Bodyboard Festival on our official channels:
• Website: www.ibcworldtour.com
• YouTube: @IBCWorldTour
• Instagram: @ibcworld_tour
• TikTok: @ibcworldtour
• Spotify: IBC World Tour