Caption: Back-to-back WSL Champions Tyler Wright (AUS) and John John Florence (HAW) celebrate their wins at the WSL Awards gala. 
Caption: © WSL /  Cestari

COOLANGATTA, Queensland/AUS (Thursday, March 8, 2018) - The world’s best surfers were honored tonight at the World Surf League (WSL) Awards -- the event that celebrates the achievements of the 2017 season and officially opens the 2018 WSL Championship Tour (CT) year. 

Recognition was delivered to those who have contributed to the sport, including the Heat of the Year, Move of the Year, and the WSL Champions across all Tours.

Heat of the Year: Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Carissa Moore (HAW) Quarterfinal at Trestles / Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Julian Wilson (AUS) Final in Tahiti 
Move of the Year: Carissa Moore (HAW) at Trestles / John John Florence (HAW) at Margaret River
Wave of the Year: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) in Maui / Filipe Toledo (BRA) at J-Bay 

WSL Junior Champions: Vahine Fiera (PYF) and Finn McGill (HAW) 
WSL Qualifying Series Champions: Johanne Defay (FRA) and Griffin Colapinto (USA)
WSL Longboard Champions: Honolua Blomfield (HAW) and Taylor Jensen (USA) 
WSL Big Wave Tour Champions: Paige Alms (HAW) and Billy Kemper (HAW)

CT Rookies of the Year: Bronte Macaulay (AUS) and Connor O’Leary (AUS) 
WSL Women's Runner-Up: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
WSL Men's Runner-Up: Gabriel Medina (BRA)
WSL Women's Champion: Tyler Wright (AUS)
WSL Men's Champion: John John Florence (HAW)
 
“It is fitting that today is International Women's Day as I’d like to thank all of the inspirational women in my life,” Wright said. “My mum and my aunties who were in Maui to celebrate with me. To Steph Gilmore and Layne Beachley, you two are my biggest inspirations in surfing. I’d also love to thank my coach Glenn (Hall) and his wife, Jemma (Hall), you two are so important to me and have helped so much in the last two years with everything from surfing to just talking, it means the world. 2017 was so special for so many reasons but one of the best parts was watching my brother Owen (Wright) come back. It was amazing and heart-wrenching all at the same time. Getting over my knee injury at the end of the year was tough but thanks to all of the support I got through it and I am back up here today, so thanks to all of my support crew.”  

“Accepting this trophy for the second year in a row is so special to me,” Florence said. “Last year, I really learned to step back and enjoy everything -- the wins, the losses, just everything that we go through on tour -- and it really made it a fun year. It is crazy to see the level of surfing that we have on the Championship Tour. Everyone continues to push the boundaries and to be a part of that is amazing. It’s so cool to see where surfing is going. I’d like to thank all of my fellow competitors for pushing me. I couldn’t do this without that inspiration. I’d love to thank my mom and everything she has done for me and my brothers. I’d also like to thank my crew on tour.” 

The 2018 WSL CT will commence with the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast starting Sunday, March 11 through March 22, 2018. 

For more information, check out WorldSurfLeague.com. 

2018 WSL SOUTH AMERICA CALENDAR SET TO OPEN WITH SERIES OF EVENTS IN MARCH 

MARCH BEGINS WITH THE MEN’S & WOMEN’S COPA TRIATHLON REEF PRO PERU AND IS FOLLOWED BY THE TRADITIONAL RIP CURL PRO ARGENTINA ON EASTER WEEKEND.

- MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT WORLDSURFLEAGUE.COM

Caption: Miguel Tudela
Credit: © WSL / Mauricio Espinoza

The race for the 2018 WSL South America Championship Title begins this month with contests in Peru and Argentina. The first event of the season will be the WSL Qualifying Series QS 1,000 Men’s and Women’s Copa Triathlon Reef Pro, held in San Bartolo, Peru on March 10-11. This will be followed by the traditional WSL Men’s and Women’s Qualifying Series Rip Curl Pro Argentina in Mar del Plata during the Easter Holiday from March 27 – April 1.
 
Points from both regional events will be valid towards the WSL South America rankings. While the Women’s event in Argentina has a QS 1,000 status, the Men’s division is a QS 1,500 rated event and will distribute $25,000 in prize money.
 
Regardless of the event status, all Regional events around the globe (QS 1,000 and QS 1,500 events) provide 1,000 regional ranking points to the event winners. With all the talent coming out of Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina and more, earning the WSL South America Regional Championship Title comes with a high-level of prestige and an added bonus…all WSL Regional Champions are given automatic entry into the following year’s QS 6,000 and QS 10,000 events around the world. These are the events that draw a beeline straight to the WSL Championship Tour.
 
Last year, huge waves bombarded the Peruvian coastline in San Bartolo and forced event organizers to relocate the event. That gave the world its first glimpse of competition held at Peñascal, which looked uncannily like Sunset Beach in Hawaii.
 
Miguel Tudela (PER) and Anali Gomez (PER) thrilled the hometown crowd as they both secured 1^st place in their respective divisions. Gomez continued her torrid performance throughout the 2017 season and capped it off by becoming the first athlete to become a 3-time WSL South America Champion.
 
In Mar del Plata, the waves were all-time and the contest was held at the harbor jetty known as El Yacht, since it’s located right next to a yacht club. Thiago Camarão (BRA) won the 2017 edition of the Rip Curl Pro Argentina and like Anali Gomez, also maintained a high success rate during the year and clinched his first WSL South America Championship Title.
 
The WSL Qualifying Series Copa Triathlon Reef Pro and the Rip Curl Pro Argentina will be broadcast live at www.worldsurfleague.com and more news and information regarding WSL South America athletes at all World Surf League events can be found at www.wslsouthamerica.com

Caption: Six-time WSL Champion Stephanie Gilmore will lead Team Australia at the inaugural Founders' Cup of Surfing event at the Kelly Slater Wave Co Surf Ranch. 
Credit: © WSL /  Morris

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LOS ANGELES, California/USA (Monday, February 26, 2018) – The World Surf League (WSL) today announced the Founders’ Cup of Surfing presented by Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold, a historic region-versus-region teams event featuring a cross-section of the world’s best surfers to be held at Surf Ranch in Lemoore, CA from May 5 - 6, 2018. 

Five teams - USA, Brazil, Australia, Europe and World -  made up of men’s and women’s surfers from the elite WSL Championship Tour, will compete over the two-day event at the world-class, man-made wave venue of Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California. The competition will be hosted against a festival backdrop honoring the culture of surfing - food, music, beverage, art and special guests will all be on site for enjoyment.

“This technology has captured the imagination of the global surfing community and created a number of new opportunities for the WSL,” Sophie Goldschmidt, WSL CEO, said. “The Founders’ Cup of Surfing will be the organization’s first public event at the facility and we’re very excited to showcase the wave and the world’s best surfers through this unique team format in May.”

The Surf Ranch facility, which was revealed online to the public in December 2015, boasts the best man-made wave in history - a 700-yard, high-performance, bi-directional wave featuring barrel sections and maneuver sections. Primarily existing as a testing facility, the Lemoore site has spent the past two years dialing in the technology under the guidance of 11-time WSL Champion Kelly Slater (USA) and feedback from visiting WSL surfers. A private test event last September proved very successful, paving the way for the May Founders’ Cup of Surfing to be the first time the public will be allowed onto the grounds.

The Founders’ Cup of Surfing will see the men and women competing alongside one another in the team format, a first for WSL events that will add a new dimension to surf competition. The teams will be made up of three men and two women from each region, and the five-person teams will compete against one another throughout the course of the two-day event.

Kelly Slater (USA), 11-time WSL Men’s Champion, will lead the US men’s and women’s team at the Founders’ Cup. Although still recovering from a foot injury suffered last year in South Africa, Slater is eager to rehabilitate in time to compete in the Founders’ Cup.

“Surf Ranch and the wave system are obviously special to me and it’s really exciting to see it come online for the public in 2018, first with the Founders’ Cup and then with Surf Ranch Open,” Slater said. “As someone who has competed in probably every competition format there is, the Founders’ Cup region-versus-region, co-ed format is really intriguing to me. I think May is going to be a great showcase for the world’s best surfers at the facility.”

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), six-time WSL Women’s Champion, has been one of the standouts at the testing facility throughout the past year and the 30-year-old natural-footer will lead the Australian team at the Founders’ Cup this year.

“The facility and the wave at Surf Ranch is amazing,” Gilmore said. “It’s such a fun wave to surf and really high-performance. Having it come online to complement our ocean-based events in 2018 is really exciting and I’m looking forward to leading the Australia team at the Founders’ Cup in May.”

Gabriel Medina (BRA), 2014 WSL Men’s Champion and last season’s world runner-up, was victorious at last year’s test event at the Surf Ranch facility and the 24-year-old Brazilian will lead his South American colleagues at the venue in May.

“Leading the Brazil team at the Founders’ Cup in May is a real honor,” Medina said. “We have so much talent in Brazil on both the men’s and women’s side that I think we will be in a strong position to do well in the inaugural teams event.”

Johanne Defay (FRA), perennial threat on the WSL Women’s Championship Tour, has been one of the standouts throughout the 2017 training sessions at the facility. Defay will Captain the European squad at the Founders’ Cup.

“The Surf Ranch wave is so fun!” Defay said. “I was pumped when we heard that there would be a CT at the wave this year and now the Founders’ Cup. Team Europe will have some rippers on there for sure.”
 
Jordy Smith (ZAF), universally-regarded as one of the most progressive and powerful surfers on the planet, will captain the five-person World Team this May.

“Being able to captain the World Team is a real honor,” Smith said. “Our respective countries may not have the same numbers at the elite level as USA, Brazil and Australia, but we are able to draw from a huge talent pool. I’m frothing on the team aspect. It should be really exciting.”

Tickets will be available for sale starting March 12. Registration for pre-sale tickets can be found at WSLFoundersCup.com. 

The Founders’ Cup of Surfing presented by Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold in May will be the first public event held at the facility. The Surf Cup Open, a men’s and women’s Championship Tour event, is scheduled for September 2018.

Presenting sponsor, Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold, is made with sustainably sourced organic grains and features ingredients free from artificial colors and flavoring. Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold was born from a commitment to innovate using ingredients and inspiration from nature. 

Led by reigning two-time WSL Champions John John Florence (HAW) and Tyler Wright (AUS), the first event of the 2018 WSL Championship Tour will be the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast in Australia from March 11 – 22, 2018.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com. 

Caption: Kanoa Igarashi, 20, will represent Japan on the WSL Championship Tour. 
Credit: © WSL /  Poullenot

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LOS ANGELES, California, USA (Monday, February 12, 2018) - Kanoa Igarashi, 20, will represent Japan heading into the 2018 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) season. A dual citizen of Japan and the United States, Igarashi decided to change his representing country as he eyes the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, which will include surfing for the first time. 

“I am going to be representing Japan this year on the Championship Tour,” Igarashi said. “I am proud to surf for Japan. My parents are Japanese, my whole family is Japanese. I have a lot of support and fans over there. We do not have any Japanese surfers on the CT, so it is something for them to cheer for and have that part in the WSL. I am sure they are really excited, and I am looking forward to it. My family is stoked.”

With this change, Igarashi becomes the first competitor to officially represent Japan on the WSL CT. In 2016, Igarashi joined the CT as its youngest member (then 17) and has proven to be a leader in the next generation of progressive surfers. Igarashi’s career has been decorated with impressive performances as he has ranked in the Top 20 for the past two years. His standout victories include first at the Vans US Open of Surfing in 2017 and a runner-up finish at the Billabong Pipe Masters in 2016. 

“I want to be able to compete in the Olympics and represent Japan,” continued Igarashi. “I grew up competing for USA and have a lot of support over here, but this is a different part of my career now. The Olympics is the greatest competition in all of sports and it is something that you dream of doing as a kid. I never thought it would be possible as a surfer. It is a really exciting time for surfing. I am going to do my best to represent surfing in the best way possible.”

Igarashi will compete under Japan for the first time in the 2018 WSL Championship Tour kickoff event, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, in Australia from March 11 - 22, 2018. 

For more information, check out WorldSurfLeague.com. 

LOS ANGELES, California/USA (Sunday, February 4, 2018) -  The World Surf League (WSL) continues to work with the Honolulu city authorities to try and ensure the iconic North Shore Championship Tour events remain on the schedule throughout the 2019 calendar.

In support of broader positive changes the WSL is instituting to the sport, the organization is requesting an accommodation for our January and December events. The permit requests would require an equal amount of days and the same dates to those originally applied for, meeting permit deadlines, and that the WSL has operated in for decades, simply changing minor details on the filing form. However, the City of Honolulu has yet to confirm the request, prompting the WSL to reluctantly begin exploring alternative solutions. This was first raised almost a year ago, WSL have been in regular contact with all the relevant Hawaiian authorities since then, taking their advice at every turn, so are surprised and concerned at this uncertainty. WSL most recently asked to discuss a mutually beneficial solution with the decision makers a week ago, and are still hopeful of gaining an appointment to find an amicable solution.

"Hawaii is such important part of surf culture and the history of this sport, we love coming here," Sophie Goldschmidt, WSL CEO, said. "Having canvassed widely, we firmly believe the broader changes we're implementing are for the benefit of all including Hawaii. We're hopeful that Hawaii CT events remain on the schedule, the permit is granted, and it continues to host the world's best surfing. Top tier pro surfing brings an enormous benefit to Hawaii's surfers, as well as the State both economically, in terms of employment, exposure for tourism and much more. We really hope this can continue.''

"Hawaii and surfing are synonymous with one another so it's important to support and bolster both the culture and the sport of surfing in Hawaii," Kelly Slater, 11x WSL Champion, said. "A big part of that long tradition is pro surfing's premier events being held on the North Shore. I'm hoping we don't find ourselves in a situation where miscommunication or semantics around the permitting process drastically impacts the long history and tradition of Hawaii playing a crucial role in determining our champions. The changes happening are important for the tour and will have zero negative impact on the local community. It's really nothing more than a trade of days and names of events at Pipeline so I hope the process can be seen as that clear and easy."

"As a surfer from Hawaii, it would be really upsetting if the City doesn't support professional surfing, however I am confident this will be resolved soon," Billy Kemper, BWT and QS competitor, said. "It is an entirely logical request, it's the same amount of time in terms of permits and the same dates, so it shouldn't be an issue. In fact, being able to start and finish the season, first with the Pipe Masters and then with the Triple Crown, seems like it would be a great thing for Hawaii and gives more Hawaiian surfers a chance to compete.''

"Having these events, with the world's best surfers, is so important for surfers from Hawaii, culturally, for the community and economically," Sunny Garcia, 2000 WSL Champion and six-time Triple Crown of Surfing winner, said. "It keeps Hawaii on the map as the Surfing Mecca, and is much loved and respected by the athletes. The community loves these events, and all Hawaiian surfers want the advantage of performing in their own back yard, in front of their home crowd."

Former State Senator, World Champion and Founder of the Triple Crown events Fred Hemmings reiterated, "Surfing is Hawaii's gift to the world and is at the very essence of the marketing of Hawaii in the visitor industry. Hawaii's Triple Crown of Surfing are marquee events on the WSL Pro Tour. I am urging state of Hawaii and Honolulu county leaders to provide the assistance necessary to keep the now close to 50- year history of world-class Triple Crown events home in Hawaii." 

Credit: © WSL /  Kirstin

LOS ANGELES, California/USA (Wednesday, January 24, 2018) –  World Surf League (WSL) and Facebook announced a historic partnership today that makes the social media platform the exclusive digital home for the top live events in surfing in 2018 and 2019. This includes all elite men’s and women’s Championship Tour events, the Qualifying Series 10,000 and Big Wave Tour events, as well as the World Junior Championships.
 
The deal builds upon the non-exclusive live rights agreement that Facebook and WSL struck last year, in which all men’s and women’s Championship Tour events, as well as Big Wave Tour events, were simulcast on Facebook and WSL’s website and mobile app. Aside from the significant reach on WSL channels, more than 13.9 million people watched a World Surf League event on Facebook in 2017 - and they came from countries all over the world. The top three countries in terms of unique viewers were in the U.S., Brazil and Mexico.
 
“Facebook fosters a global community and, as surfing is a sport that celebrates and centers around community, we are proud to announce our media rights partnership with the platform,” Sophie Goldschmidt, WSL CEO, said. “This is game-changing for the sport in many ways and, with current and new fans front of mind, we can retain the free offering to fans, and it allows us to deliver the world’s best surfing to even more people on Facebook’s platform.”
 
“We’re thrilled to become the exclusive home of the World Surf League’s live events for the next two years,” said Dan Reed, Facebook Head of Global Sports Partnerships. “This is a natural next step in our terrific partnership, which has steadily progressed over the years as the League has expertly used Facebook to distribute content and build community. This was especially true last year, when millions of fans came together on our platform to watch live surfing. We’re excited to help WSL continue to serve and grow this vibrant community and usher in a new era of surf broadcasting on Facebook Watch."
 
The relationship has proved to be a model example of a flexible, innovative and collaborative relationship for both parties. All live events will be available globally on Facebook. Those in the U.S. will be able to tune in on Facebook Watch, a video platform where content, conversation and community come together. The partnership also calls for additional Facebook Watch programming, such as Surfing Sundays, which recaps each week’s top surfing action, with more programming planned in 2018 on this platform.
 
The shows are part of the World Surf League’s robust content offering. The League produces 800 hours of live content a year across multiple disciplines as well as a wide array of static storytelling and educational content covering the sport, history, heritage and culture of surfing, which will be available on WSL platforms alongside Facebook.
 
When recently analyzed in late 2017 by Sports Business Journal and third-party social measurement company Hookit, the WSL ranked in the top 3 sports leagues in the world in social engagement, alongside the NFL and NBA.
 
Live Events Overview
 
Crowning the undisputed men’s and women’s champions since 1976, the WSL’s elite Championship Tour takes the world’s best surfers to Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa, Mainland USA, France, Portugal and Hawaii in 2018, all of which will be broadcast live on Facebook.
 
Led by reigning two-time WSL Champions John John Florence (HAW) and Tyler Wright (AUS), the first event of the 2018 WSL Championship Tour will be the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast in Australia from March 11 – 22, 2018.

2018 World Surf League (WSL) Men's Championship Tour: 
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, Australia - March 11 - 22, 2018  
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, Australia - March 28 - April 8, 2018  
Margaret River Pro, Australia - April 11 - 22, 2018  
Oi Rio Pro, Brazil - May 10 - 19, 2018  
Bali Pro, Indonesia - May 27 - June 9, 2018  
Corona Open J-Bay, South Africa - July 2 - 13, 2018  
Tahiti Pro Teahupo'o, Tahiti - August 10 - 21, 2018  
Surf Ranch Lemoore, California/USA. September 5 - 9, 2018  
Quiksilver Pro France, France - October 3 - 14, 2018  
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal, Portugal - October 16 - 27, 2018  
Billabong Pipe Masters, Hawaii/USA - December 8 - 20, 2018

2018 World Surf League (WSL) Women's Championship Tour:  
Roxy Pro Gold Coast, Australia - March 11 - 22, 2018  
Rip Curl Women's Pro Bells Beach, Australia - March 28 - April 8, 2018  
Margaret River Pro, Australia - April 11 - 22, 2018  
Oi Rio Pro, Brazil - May 10 - 19, 2018  
Bali Pro, Indonesia - May 27 - June 9, 2018  
Corona Open J-Bay, South Africa - July 10 - 17, 2018  
Vans US Open of Surfing, USA - July 30 - August 5, 2018  
Surf Ranch Lemoore, California/USA. September 5 - 9, 2018  
Roxy Pro France, France - October 3 - 14, 2018  
Hawaii Women's Pro, Hawaii/USA - November 25 - December 6, 2018

Supporting the live content of the elite tier will be the Qualifying Series 10,000 events, the WSL Junior Championships and the WSL Big Wave Tour (BWT), taking the world’s best men’s and women’s big wave surfers to Nazaré, Pe'ahi, Mavericks and Puerto Escondido – all events will also stream live on Facebook in 2018 and 2019.

 
For more information, check out WorldSurfLeague.com. 

WSL NORTH AMERICA EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE ITS
2018 CT ROOKIES AND NEW QUALIFIERS
- GRIFFIN COLAPINTO AND CAROLINE MARKS EARN CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR SPOTS IN 2018
- COLAPINTO FINISHES NO. 1 ON THE QUALIFYING SERIES RANKINGS
- MARKS MAKES HISTORY AS YOUNGEST CT QUALIFIER IN HISTORY AT AGE 15
- PATRICK GUDAUSKAS RETURNS TO CT AFTER FOUR YEAR ABSENCE
- MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT WORLDSURFLEAGUE.COM

Caption: A phenomenal North Shore run witnessed Griffin Colapinto (USA) (pictured) earn a runner-up at the Hawiian Pro and fourth-place at the Vans World Cup of Surfing to finish atop the QS rankings.
Credit: WSL/ Tony Heff