LOS ANGELES, California/USA (Wednesday, June 27, 2018) - The World Surf League (WSL) oversees men's and women's professional surfing around the globe across multiple disciplines and development tiers.
In recent years, the organization has instituted pay parity at the Championship Tour level and we are in the process of instituting across other disciplines. As we continue to steward and enhance professional surfing worldwide, our focus will be on elevating the development tiers in this area.
The issue raised with regards to the Billabong Ballito Pro Junior stemmed from a pay parity execution based on original 32-man and 16-woman fields. However, withdrawals from the men's event left a 24-man field (withdrawals saw only 14 ultimately compete on the women's side) and a subsequent pay disparity between the two events.
This is an important topic to us. Our sport features amazing women athletes who compete alongside their male counterparts. We are committed to providing a platform for the best surfers in the world, regardless of gender, and recognize that prizing is an important factor in creating that platform.