Ballito Pro fights to retain status amid WSL format changes

Organisers of the Ballito Pro are fighting to ensure that the world’s longest-running professional surfing contest retains its status and mid-year dates in future.

This follows the World Surf League’s (WSL) cancellation of the 2020 Championship Tour and Qualifying Series seasons because of the global Covid-19 pandemic and announcement of key changes to the 2021 WSL Championship Tour.

Concerns are that changes to the event could lessen the appeal to international competitors, owing to a possible reduction in point-value.

The Ballito Pro, a Qualifying Series 10 000 event, would have celebrated its 52nd year this month.

As one of the world’s longest running professional surfing contests, the contest was first held in 1969 in Durban under the name ‘Durban 500’.

Major financial support from KwaDukuza municipality saw the contest move to Ballito in 2009.

The event and a free music festival have been major drawcards for visitors and have become an important economic driver in the Dolphin Coast economy, as well as one of the 10 prime-rated events on the ASP calendar.

Event co-ordinator, Collette Bundy said KwaDukuza municipality, together with event partners, were in ongoing talks and planning with WSL International and will provide updates as the year progresses.

“We are focusing on the preservation of the mid-year dates and the retention of the status of the event,” she said.

Bundy said that these discussions were dependent on both international and local regulations and travel restrictions around Covid-19 in 2021.

Major changes to tours and competitions have also been announced and while WSL believes that surfing competitions remain one of the safest sports to be held during the pandemic, ongoing concerns from many in the community have seen changes being made.

Instead, the tour has been moved to 2021 and is expected to start in November this year in Maui, Hawaii for women and in December in Oahu, Hawaii for men.

International travel availability also plays an important role in organising the events.

The 2021 WSL Championship Tour will see key format changes but the schedule remains to be updated.

The tour will finish with the World Surf League finals, a new single-day world title event in September of 2021.

As things stand, in 2021 the Challenger Series will run from August to December while the Qualifying Series will run through to the end of June.

The Qualifying Series will determine who has made it through to the Challenger Series.

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