World Cup for Clubs in 2024 will be held in Rio de Janeiro
Who will conquer Carioca’s islands?
Rio de Janeiro will hold a CMAS World Spearfishing competition again after 61 years. The iconic coastal city of Brazil will be the venue of the 2024 CMAS Spearfishing World Cup of Clubs, to take place from 7 to 10 March, at Marina da Glória downtown Rio. Thirty clubs from around the world, set up in teams of three divers per boat, will compete for the title of Spearfishing World Cup Champion in the same islands that Brazilian spearfishing legend, Bruno Hermanny won his second spearfishing world title in 1963.
The competitors will dive into a rich sea with an incredible diversity of species. Rio is situated right on the imaginary border between the subtropical waters of the South Atlantic and Brazil’s northeast coast’s warm Caribbean-like waters. Because of this unique position, Rio’s coast hosts fish from both tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems. In the same dive, a spearfisherman can spot a Mediterranean dusky grouper, the tropical black grouper, and a cobia, while surrounded by a school of yellowtails, species that don’t meet in any other body of water on the planet. The rocky bottom with big ledges and caves will favor the technique of the European divers that will find spearing conditions in Rio similar to what is found on the old continent.
Foreign divers will have to break a long tabu if they want to bring home ther first place at the World Cup, since the local divers are undefeated in international competitions in Rio. Spearfishing legends like Bernard Salvatori, John Ernst, H. Dessault, and Claudio Ripa have all competed in Rio, finally only to see a local diver hold the first place position. But the last international meet in Rio was back in the 90s and a lot has changed since then. The carioca supremacy may be coming to an end. Local champions like Paulo Pacheco, Mauricio Ortiz, Diego Santiago, and Francisco Loffredi are likely to compete and can be considered favorites, but rising stars of the Brazilian spearfishing scene like Kevin Sansão and Gabriel Barra can also end up on the highest spot of the podium. That is if an international competitor does not outshoot the Carioca spearos to break this long-lasting tabu. Either way, it’s safe to say that the CMAS World Cup of Clubs will finish with lots of samba and caipirinhas.
The competition is organized by APPS (Associação Paulista de Pesca Sub) under the supervision of CMAS and sanctioned by IOC. There are only 30 spots for clubs to register, which will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Spot on the roster will certainly fill up fast as Rio’s appeal and fish will draw lots of interest from CMAS’s giant spearfishing community across the world. For clubs and federations interested in competing, registration and details will soon be posted on the CMAS website.
