The World Surf League announced Thursday, March 12, it was cancelling upcoming surf contests, including the Jack’s Pro scheduled for Huntington Beach at the end of the month, to limit coronavirus risk.
The postponements and cancellations put a halt to pro surfers’ hopes of kicking off the competitive surfing season at events in Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Japan and Barbados.
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Several Orange County athletes among the world’s best are already in Australia training for the first stop on the World Tour, the Corona Open Gold Coast, which was scheduled to start its waiting period March 26.
Local athletes affected by the changes, which are in place through March, include San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino and Griffin Colapinto, Huntington Beach’s Kanoa Igarashi and Santa Ana’s Courtney Conlogue, as well as others in Australia hoping to compete in additional events scheduled through the month.
The Huntington Beach contest is one of few on the mainland that helps up-and-coming surfers earn valuable points in their effort to join the ranks of the world’s best.
“Due to the rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19 and out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our athletes, fans and staff, the World Surf League (WSL) has made the decision to cancel all events yet to commence at all tour levels, worldwide for the remainder of March, including the opening event of the 2020 Championship Tour (CT) on the Gold Coast in Australia. Additionally, we are canceling the Papara Pro Open Tahiti,” the WSL announcement reads.
The decision is based on guidance from the World Health Organization, which declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, the WSL said, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, governments and local public health authorities where events are held.
“Coronavirus is having massive consequences for sporting events and gatherings of all kinds around the world, and we are no different,” WSL CEO Erik Logan said in a statement. “We did not take this decision lightly as we are aware that it has a significant impact on the surfing community. However, the health and safety of our athletes, fans, and staff are paramount. From the standpoint of social responsibility, we also take very seriously the role our events might play in accelerating the spread of the virus. We’ve been in close contact with our athletes and we feel strongly that this is the right thing to do right now.”
The list of canceled or postponed WSL events as of Thursday:
Papara Pro Open Tahiti, French Polynesia: CanceledPiha Pro Junior, New Zealand: PostponedCorona Piha Pro, New Zealand: PostponedSeat Pro Netanya, Israel: PostponedBarbados Surf Pro, Barbados: PostponedCorona Open Gold Coast, Australia: CanceledWSL Awards: PostponedRed Bull Airborne Gold Coast, Australia: CanceledJack’s Surfboards Pro, Huntington Beach: PostponedLongboard Pro Espinho, Portugal: PostponedCaparica Surf Fest Pro, Portugal: PostponedCentral Japan Open, Japan: PostponedKrui Pro, Indonesia: Postponed
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