Crowdfunding for a new start: Fire destroys Tony Frey's windsurfing centre
Tobias Frauen
· 08.05.2023
A major fire destroyed Tony Frey's windsurfing centre a few days ago. The former PWA world champion and Olympic starter had opened a centre in the Greek capital Athens after the end of her active career, where she offered surfing courses and had 45 boards and 50 rigs available for hire.
The material worth 200,000 euros and large parts of the station fell victim to the fire. "It's difficult to come to terms with the loss and it was heartbreaking to see everything turn to ash," Tony writes about the disaster and looks to the future: "I refuse to give up on my dreams. My goal is to rebuild my windsurfing club, continue to give lessons and show that we can always find a way to overcome life's challenges!"
A crowdfunding campaign was launched at the weekend to support Tony Frey. The goal is 100,000 euros, and over 21,000 euros were raised in the first few days.
A video with dramatic images of the fire is also shared on the site and on numerous accounts. Tony Frey writes about it: "Windsurfing is not just a sport for me, it's a way of life. After the end of my professional sporting career, I dedicated over a decade to building my windsurfing club. Through my club, I have been able to share my passion for windsurfing, inspire others to live a positive and natural lifestyle and create a community of like-minded people."
2000 World Champion, 2004 and 2008 Olympics
Antonia "Tony" Frey was born in Germany but grew up in Greece. She got into windsurfing through her brother, and none other than Robby Naish persuaded her to pursue a professional career. From the mid-90s, she competed on the PWA tour and became freestyle world champion together with Karin Jaggi in 2000.
Tony Frey then concentrated on the Olympic Mistral One Design class in order to take part in the 2004 Olympic Games in her home city of Athens. She also competed in 2008 in Beijing, then already on RS:X. She then ended her active career and devoted herself to building up her windsurfing centre, which has now fallen victim to the fire.
