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The recent announcement from the World Surf League and Boardriders advising of their decision to the cancel the 2022 Quiksilver / ROXY Pro France in Hossegor has seen fans of the event express their frustration and disappointment via social media towards the organisers of the event.
Erik Logan, WSL Chief Executive claimed that WSL and Boardriders were unable to secure the appropriate support to make the event financially sustainable - especially stunning in light of his recent statement that the World Surf League has never been in a better place financially.
In an online interview with Boardsport Source Editor, Harry Mitchell Thompson, Logan stated “our revenues are going to be up 20% vs 2019, so we are extraordinarily healthy. One of the things I look at with our Chief Revenue Officer, is the number of clients and people who want to participate with us at any level and we’ve got a roster of partners that is up 35%. I’m trying not just to focus on the competitive side of the sport, but also to grow the revenue side too. We have a ways to go, but we are very happy with how healthy we are.”
In the interview, Thompson also highlighted that unlike former WSL Chief Executive Sophie Goldschmidt who was very much a performance sports marketing specialist having been brought in to secure big commercial sponsorship, Logan’s background was in media and content.
In March last year, Jessi Miley-Dyer, former Championship Tour (CT) competitor, was appointed WSL Senior Vice President of Tours and Head of Competition. Commenting on the cancellation she notes "we understand and acknowledge the inconvenience of this timing, and we know it adds difficult and frustrating repercussions on competitors
"Because of this, we have reduced the counting results to four from five for the end-of-year rankings. The 2022 Challenger Series will host seven competitions total, including the upcoming Vans US Open of Surfing, EDP Vissla Pro Ericeira, Corona Saquarema Pro, and Haleiwa Challenger."
While Miley-Dyer, took to Instagram offering a consolation and attempting to put a positive spin on the cancellation by writing, “with the cancellation of the Quiksilver Pro France today, I’d like to let you know we will be revising the number of events counting on the Challenger Series Rankings (and for 2023 CT qualification ) from five to four”, she was on the receiving end of much disappointment and frustration from fans.
The competition was set to take place from 12th to 23d October, 2022 as the sixth stop on the Challenger Series, the competition series where the next generation of surfing stars battle for the chance to qualify for the Championship Tour. In light of this announcement, the Challenger Series rankings for Championship Tour qualification will be based on results across four competitions.
Many will be disappointed with the cancellation. Some of the competitors sitting in no-mans-land on the rankings may now be lamenting the now smaller chance at garnering late-season momentum.
French surfers, and ardent French surfing fans can’t be too pleased either as France doesn’t currently have a CT event and this competition would have been the locals only chance to watch or compete against some of the world’s best in the near future. The cancellation will also impact the economic boost projected via tourism for the town of Hossegor.
Logan added “despite this cancellation, we are committed to the French region, community, competitors, and fans. France remains important to competitive surfing's history and future. We are actively engaged in conversations to return to France in 2023 and beyond."
Arne Arens, Boardriders Inc. Chief Executive advised "Quiksilver and ROXY have had a long history of supporting the surfing industry in France, including on the Championship Tour level, so this is of course a very disappointing outcome. Nonetheless, our determination to showcase European surfing remains unchanged and we are 100% dedicated to working with the WSL to bring the world's best surfers back to the French beaches in the near future. In the interim, Quiksilver and ROXY will continue their unwavering support and sponsorship of world-class athletes and WSL events globally."
WSL and Boardriders concluded “the Challenger Series will host seven competitions total for the 2022 season, with four of seven results counting toward the year-end Challenger Series Rankings and Championship Tour qualification. The Top 10 men and Top 5 women on the Challenger Series rankings will qualify for the 2023 Championship Tour. The next stop will be the Vans US Open of Surfing (30th July – 7th August, 2022), followed by EDP Vissla Pro Ericeira (1st – 9th October 2022), the Corona Saquarema Pro presented by Banco do Brasil (1st – 8th November , 2022), and the Haleiwa Challenger (26th November – 7th December 2022).
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
Images courtesy @jessmileydyer
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