World Surf League cancels or postpones all events until the end of May

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Last week, the WSL announced that in response to the rapidly worsening situation around COVID-19, all events scheduled for March will be canceled, including the first stop on the championship round. But on Monday afternoon, the WSL decided to further cancel or postpone everything until the end of May, including the postponement of World Tour events in Bells and Margarets, and possibly the cancellation of the G-Land Quiksilver Pro. Continue reading for more from WSL:

Due to the ongoing development of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Surfing League (WSL) will postpone or cancel all events at all levels of the competition until the end of May.

This includes postponing the remaining events on the Australian Championship tour, Bells Beach and Margaret River, as well as the WSL Big Wave Awards. Quiksilver Pro G-land, scheduled for June in a remote part of Indonesia, will be canceled or moved to an area with more infrastructure.

Although full details of the impact of these changes on the 2020 Tour are not yet available, WSL is working hard to find the best solution for surfers and fans.

In a video released today on all WSL channels, WSL CEO Eric Logan told fans and supporters of WSL: “We have every intention of starting the 2020 season and all of our tours as soon as possible. We are already working hard on planning a scenario for what a rethought 2020 tour might look like. ”

Current and rapidly evolving changes in international travel make it extremely difficult to determine the right time for resuming and safely moving surfers to and from venues.

In the video, Logan also said: “I'm a fan like you, and I want to see how the best surfers in the world fight on the best waves in the world. However, the main concern of WSL right now is the health and safety of our athletes, fans and employees around the world. ”

Based on the information that the WSL receives from global experts and agencies regarding the pandemic, June seems to be the most likely time for a safe start to the 2020 season, so the decision was made today.

Logan continued: “We are truly a global sport. Moving tours and events between countries is a difficult task in the best conditions. Under current conditions, this is simply impossible and will not be for some time. As the league that organizes public gatherings, we are also well aware of our social responsibility to prevent and accelerate the spread of the virus. ”

Meanwhile, WSL continues to distribute new and fresh surfing content across all its channels. The WSL also attracts fans to share how they would like the WSL to celebrate surfing at a time when we need to see and experience more than what we love.

According to Logan, "we are going to increase the volume of content that we produce from WSL Studios, deepen our editorial and find new ways to stay in touch with everyone while we wait for the next introductory tone to sound."

“The love of surfing is the connection that unites our global community,” Logan said. “We want to share the positive in these troubled times, while continuing to celebrate this connection and our shared passion for this sport, the ocean, our athletes and each other.”

WSL will continue to provide updates as they become available.

We appreciate your continued support.

Stay safe. Keep surfing. See you there.

Stay tuned to find out more about upcoming events in June and beyond.

This article originally appeared on Surfer.com and has been republished with permission.


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