The WSL announced on Monday the Margaret River Pro would remain on tour until at least 2021. Photo: Dunbar/WSL
On Monday, the World Surf League confirmed it’d struck a deal with Tourism Western Australia to keep the Margaret River Pro on the men’s and women’s Championship Tour until at least 2021.
“The deal confirms that the Margaret River Pro CT event will continue for another two years, with a further option for extension, and play a pivotal role in the crowning of the WSL World Champions,” the release explains.
The extension comes less than a year since the 2018 Margaret River Pro was canceled after not one but two shark attacks near the event site that forced the WSL to move the remainder of the event to Uluwatu.
After the attacks, when WSL organizers were still mulling over whether the event would continue or be canceled, Gabriel Medina and Italo Ferreira took to Instagram to explain they feared for their safety.
“Today they had two shark attacks on a beach close to where we’re competing,” Medina wrote to his then six million (now well over seven million) followers. “I do not feel safe training and competing in this kind of place, anytime anything can happen to one of us. Hope not. Leaving my opinion before it’s too late!”
Ferreira said in part, “Very dangerous do you not think? Even so, they keep insisting on doing steps where the risk of having this type of accident is 90%, so I ask: is not the safety of athletes a priority?”
It’s worth noting that last year the League contended elevated shark activity near the Margaret River Pro was likely due to the annual salmon run that typically takes place from March through April and dead whales in the vicinity. The event that was slated from April 11-22 of last year will take place from May 29-June 9 this year. And instead of all three Australia events being front-loaded at the beginning of the season, this year’s schedule has seen a bit of a shakeup with Snapper and Bells kicking off the year followed by Bali then Margaret River. Neither Fiji nor Trestles are on the schedule this year.
For their part, the World Surf League expressed their excitement that the Margaret River event would continue until 2021, but stopped short of addressing the shark in the room – whether additional measures would be undertaken this year to provide for the safety of WSL athletes vis-à-vis the man in the grey suit.
“Margaret River is a venue that has been challenging the world’s best surfers since 1985 and the WSL is thrilled that we are continuing our partnership with Tourism Western Australia,” said WSL CEO Sophie Goldschmidt. “The beautiful coastline in Western Australia never fails to deliver one of the most memorable events on tour. The anticipation is high and we can’t wait to get back to Margaret River this May and watch our athletes continue to break performance barriers in the epic Western Australian surf.”
