The EuroSurf Junior Championships are underway in Bundoran, County Donegal, bringing 250 competitors from 20 European countries to the north-west coast. The ten-day event officially opens on Saturday following a Parade of Nations through the seaside town.

The championship, organised by Irish Surfing in collaboration with the Saltwater Festival, is sanctioned by the European Surfing Federation (ESF). Competitors will surf at two Bundoran locations: The Peak and Tullan Strand. This is the first time Ireland has hosted the junior championships, although the country has hosted the senior event four times, most recently in 2011.

Zoe Lally, chief executive of Irish Surfing, said this year's junior entry is the largest on record. Surfing made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, and Lally said the junior event is a key pathway for athletes aiming for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and 2032 Brisbane Olympics. "They're competing at Euro Juniors, getting that high-performance allocation and then the move into seniors," she said.

There are six competition categories: under 16 boys and girls, under 18 boys and girls, and under 18 boys' and girls' longboard. The format involves four-person heats with two surfers advancing until a final of four. Judges look for power, speed, flow and manoeuvres in the critical sections of the wave.

The ESF said Bundoran was selected as the venue after a thorough evaluation process, noting its proven capacity to deliver international-level surfing events. Irish Surfing has spent time preparing, securing funding, working with local communities and assembling a volunteer team.

The event coincides with the European Week of Sport. Lally said Spain trained in Bundoran for a fortnight before the contest and other teams arrived last weekend.

The Irish team has 14 members: five from West Coast Surf Club in Lahinch, County Clare, four from T-Bay Surf Club in Tramore, County Waterford, four from Donegal Bay Board Riders and one from County Sligo Surf Club. The management team includes European champion Gearóid McDaid, national champion Maia Monaghan and surfers Owen Murphy and Ollie O'Flaherty.

The championships are streamed live on the Irish Surfing website, and the public can watch for free at The Peak and Tullan Strand. Announcers will explain the action.

"People will be able to see the best young surfers in Europe on the best waves in Europe, so you know don't need to know anything about surfing to come and enjoy it," Lally said.