By Maria Alejandra Peña 

Ahmed Pérez, the newly elected vice president of the re-formed Venezuelan Surfing Federation, resigned from his position because he did not find in the board of directors "the ideal environment for the development of ideas" that he intended to contribute, he told DUKE.

The news has come as a shock to Venezuelan surfing, which was trying to get back on its feet by reorganizing its federation in preparation for the Pan American Games and the Olympic Games, after a long hiatus in which almost nothing happened.

According to Pérez, he was captain of the national surfing team for more than 10 years and accumulated important international sporting achievements in countries such as Mexico, the United States, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,  Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, Panama, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, to name a few. In addition, the surfer has studies in communication and marketing, which makes him a qualified figure to lead a federation.

On the list elected on April 20, he appeared as the only figure with recognition and a career in national and international surfing, but after 41 days he decided to step aside.

“I felt hostility from some people in the work team that makes up the new FVS and many differences of vision to develop the project that I devised so that it would be a base on which to work with the multiple contributions of the members of the FVS, athletes, judges, enthusiasts and members of the Venezuelan surfing community, regardless of 'the rank' that they had,” said Pérez.

He added that his arrival to the position of vice president in the FVS was “flowing” through the meetings he attended to support the formation of the new federation. “At a meeting I was first introduced as the technical director, without having been consulted beforehand and although I was surprised, I decided to continue and move forward. The truth is that I love surfing, the culture I represent and my country, and my intention has always been to contribute.” In this same dynamic he ended up being placed in the position of vice president and enthusiastically continued forward, even though, as he explained, he was a little worried about the lack of organization.

Ahmed firmly believes that in order to boost surfing, a new image must be created from scratch, with a very defined criterion; and broadening the spectrum far beyond the competitive, which according to him “is definitely important, but it is not everything.”

He said: “I have been in the water all my life, it is part of my essence and I will never be able to create anything related to surfing that does not benefit the person who is sitting in the sea waiting for the waves, aspiring to a better future, wanting to make a professional career out of the sport that I consider to be the most beautiful on the planet.”

Pérez says that his ideal of surfing is in a project he created, never before seen in the country, and that he will continue to develop with enthusiasm and care. “I simply presented an introduction to the FVS, it is a contribution to the sport that has given me so much,” he said.

“I have been working hard for years, with dignity and in a committed way with surfing, I have traced a path with discipline that definitely gave me an experience and knowledge that I captured in a project through a research process,” said Pérez, referring to a project that he conceived, captured and submitted in an introductory manner to the federation, with the intention of carrying it forward in the country in a progressive manner, but, as he said, he did not find the environment in the FVS to continue with the project.

On May 30, the professional surfer sent a statement to the Board of Directors entitled “Ahmed Pérez's resignation from the FVS” and in it he officially announced his resignation from the position of vice president and technical director.

Ahmed said he was grateful for the opportunity. He had never belonged to any federation due to the lack of requests from any of those previously involved. He gave time, love and dedication to the project he dreams of for Venezuelan surfing and which he continues to visualize as the ideal of national surfing, however, he understands that, at least for the moment, his place is not in the FVS and he wishes all the success possible to those who face the mission of working for Venezuelan surfing.