HONOLULU (Eagle News) – The World Surf League (WSL) announced upcoming Championship Tour (CT) events in Hawaii are being cancelled after the state government suspended all surfing competitions as the number COVID-19 cases continues to rise.

The men’s and women’s tournaments affected include the Sunset Open in Oahu’s North Shore scheduled for January 19-28 and the Big Wave Jaws Championship Pe’ahi in Maui, which was already underway and scheduled to run until March 31.

The WSL also postponed the Santa Cruz Pro, scheduled for February 2-12, mainly due to the surge of Covid-19 cases in California.

League officials said the postponement was influenced by the length of time the athletes have been away from home, as well as by the complexities of global travel during the pandemic, which would have caused significant logistical and financial challenges for athletes, organizing staff and their families.

The contests in both states were the last planned events of the U.S. leg of the Championship Tour.

The league, however, still expressed some optimism on this current season.

“It is a testament to our surfers, staff, and the local community of Hawaii that we were able to successfully complete both the men’s and women’s opening CT events of the 2021 season, and we would like to thank the communities in both Maui and Oahu for their Aloha,” said the WSL. “We look forward to safely continuing the 2021 CT season with the Australia leg starting at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in April.”

(With reports from EBC Hawaii Bureau, Eagle News Service)