Taiwan has been accepted as a member of the International Surfing Association (ISA), the world's governing authority for the sport, it was announced Friday.

"I am thrilled about the news, and happy to welcome Chinese Taipei to the international surfing family," ISA President Fernando Aguerre said. "We're witnessing amazing surfing growth in Asia and we're looking forward to introducing the sport to more countries in the region."

The Chinese Taipei Surfing Association (CTSA) was the 70th member to join the ISA, which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the global governing authority for surfing and all wave-riding sports.

"With the support and guidance of the ISA, our federation now has more confidence to develop the sport of surfing in Taiwan," said Randy Chang, a CTSA council member.

"This will affect Taiwan's surfing environment in many positive ways, such as upgrading the quality and number of our contests, improving judging and coaching performance and increasing surfing's popularity in the country," he said. "We also want to generate more quality athletes to participate in world-class competitions."

Surfing is practiced mainly on the east side of the island. The best season for the sport is October to May, when monsoons bring solid waves. From June to September there are also good conditions from typhoon swells, according to the ISA website.

The ISA, headquartered in San Diego, California, is headed by Aguerre of Argentina, who has been re-elected seven times since 1994.