Surfer dies at Australia championship

SYDNEY – A second competitor in three years has died at the same beach during the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships, sparking allegations yesterday that organisers ignored safety recommendations.

Matthew Barclay, aged 14, disappeared when he came off his board on Wednesday during an under-15s competition at Kurrawa beach on the Gold Coast. His body was found yesterday after a massive search but the cause of death has not yet been announced.Barclay’s death comes after teenager Saxon Bird drowned in treacherous conditions during the same carnival at the same beach in 2010, and is the third casualty at the event since 1996. Lawyer Chris Branson, who represented Bird’s family at an inquest into his death, said it was clear governing body Surf Life Saving Australia had failed again, calling Barclay’s death ‘a scandal of monumental proportions’.’They’ve learnt nothing from Saxon Bird’s death, they’ve learnt nothing from Robert Gatenby’s death, and the essential feature is that it should not be held here at Kurrawa at all – ever, ever, ever,’ he told ABC radio.He claimed commercial reasons were behind the event being held again at a beach which offers good facilities and accommodation, but where a life had already been lost. -Nampa-Sapa