World Surf League cancels 2020 tournaments, plans to kick off 2021 season with major changes

(FILE) Surfers and swimmers bravely take on the waves at one of the beaches along Oahu’s North Shore. (Photo by Alfred Acenas, EBC Hawaii Bureau, Eagle News Service)

 

By Alfred Acenas
EBC Hawaii Bureau

HALEIWA, Oahu Island (Eagle News) – As weighing in on the health and safety of athletes, fans, employees, and local communities remains the World Surf League’s  (WSL) top priorities, while considering the current challenges of international travel, the organization officially announced on Friday, July 17, the cancellation of the 2020 Championship Tour (CT) and Qualifying Series (QS) seasons.

“After careful consideration and extensive discussions with key stakeholders, we have made the decision to cancel the 2020 Championship Tour and Qualifying Series seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said WSL CEO Erik Logan in a video released on WSL channels.  “While we firmly believe that surfing is amongst the sports best suited for competition to be held safely during the age of unresolved COVID, we have huge respect for the ongoing concerns of many in our community as the world works to resolve this.”

The 2021 tour will start in the Hawaiian Islands: November 2020 in Maui for the women and December 2020 in Oahu for the men.  Both venues are subject to the approval of the State of Hawaii and local government agencies, as well as effective protocols that allow for safe international travel.

The 2021 CT season will culminate with “The WSL Finals,” a new single-day World Title Event in September 2021.

(FILE) Haleiwa Ali’i Beach Park pictured here is less than 7 miles (11 kilometers) from the Banzai Pipeline and Sunset Beaches, where the World Surf League holds tournaments between November and February. (Photo by Alfred Acenas, EBC Hawaii Bureau, Eagle News Service)

 

In addition, the 2021 WSL Championship Tour will see key format changes, to include the following:

  1. The men’s and women’s World Titles will be decided in a single-day event, “The WSL Finals.”  The top five women and top five men following the 10-event CT season will battle for their respective titles in a new surf-off format at one of the world’s best waves.
  2. There will be an equal number of women’s and men’s CT events, starting at Teahupo’o, Tahiti in the South Pacific, where the women will join the men at one of the world’s most iconic and demanding waves for the first time since 2006.
  3. There will be distinct seasons and schedules between the Championship Tour and the Challenger Series (CS).  Starting in 2021, the CS will run from August to December.
  4. The Qualifying Season (QS) will run through to the end of June 2021 and will determine who has qualified for the Challenger Series.  Points from QS events that were completed in 2020 will carry over into 2021.

This evolution has been part of a multi-year discussion, and the final design is a collaboration between the athletes, partners and the WSL.

“I’m really excited about these new format changes,” said two-time WSL Champion Tyler Wright.  “As someone that has spent a lot of time out with injury and on the couch in the last few years as a professional spectator, I feel that change is good and needed.  Having Tahiti come back on the schedule will be interesting and challenging.  It will take us a few years to get our feet and positioning in.  However, with the next generation of strong and talented women coming through, I think we’ll soon have Tahiti specialists.”

“The WSL format, timeline, and location updates will make for a very exciting and intense 2021 tour and World Title chase,” said two-time WSL Champion and Hawaii native John John Florence.  “It’s great being a part of the WSL, especially as we evolve and adapt to new challenges. I look forward to competing in this new era.”

(Eagle News Service)