Hossegor, France (Wednesday, September 2, 2020) - Pro surfing is back! No more waiting, no more unridden waves, let there be surf. To bring world-class competitive surfing to fans during a time of restricted international travel, the WSL is hosting a string of unique, pre-season exhibition events featuring Championship Tour surfers in the USA, Australia, Brazil, France, and Portugal called The WSL Countdown.
The first event, the Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold Rumble at the Ranch, was completed on August 9 with the victory of Filipe Toledo and Coco Ho in a one-day, mixed tag-team format competition on the perfect waves of the Surf Ranch.
The WSL Countdown heads to the Old Continent for the Euro Cup of Surfing, two events, two countries, 24 surfers and potentially epic waves with a reduced competition format and multiple locations. Both events will be webcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and the WSL's social channels.
The Euro Cup of Surfing: Two Events, the Best of European and International Pro Surfing
Professional surfing tours have always stopped in Europe over the Summer and Fall seasons to take advantage of the pristine North Atlantic swells, endless-summer weather, and The WSL Countdown will be no different.
24 surfers, 12 men and 12 women, will battle it out in an exciting short format that will allow wrap the event in a day if needed and capitalize on the best conditions. The entire prize purse of both events will be donated to charity.
The full list of competitors is yet to be finalized but the caliber of surfing is guaranteed to be world-class as the following athletes have already confirmed their attendance at the Euro Cup of Surfing:
Men:
Kanoa Igarashi
Jérémy Flores
Michel Bourez
Leonardo Fioravanti
Frederico Morais
Joan Duru
Jorgann Couzinet
Vasco Ribeiro
Afonso Antunes
Women:
Johanne Defay
Pauline Ado
Vahine Fierro
Maud Le Car
Yolanda Hopkins
Tessa Thyssen
Cannelle Bulard
Teresa Bonvalot
Nadia Erostarbe
Anat Lelior
Rachel Presti
Justine Dupont
Mafalda Lopez
The French Rendez-Vous of Surfing
Jeremy Flores - WSL / Damien Poullenot
Held in Anglet between September 23-25, the first of two European stops brings professional surfing back to this idyllic Basque surf town with a long history of competitive events. The Chambre d'Amour beach breaks are now known to most as the location of the Pro Anglet and have shown over the past five years the potential for epic surf and world-class action.
The event will be broadcast-only, meaning fans will not be allowed on-site due to COVID-19 related restrictions and instead a full video production will bring the audience right in to all the action with engaging content promoting the event of course, but also the location and its surfing history.
The French Rendez-Vous of Surfing is supported by the City Council of Anglet, the Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Jeep, Red Bull, Hydro Flask, L'Equipe, and Virgin Radio. The MEO Portugal Cup of Surfing
Frederico Morais - WSL / Damien Poullenot
For Portugal, we're going back to the glory days of the strike missions, with a mobile event that can land anywhere on the coast, pending conditions. Simply put, where the waves pump, we will run. The event window extends from September 28th to October 2nd and the swell will dictate the choice of location between world famous spots like Ericeira, Peniche, Nazaré or just any number of random spots that offer the best waves on the day.
Event partner EDP will contribute to offset the carbon footprint from the travel impact of all surfers and staff to the event. The event's prize money purse will also be donated to charity.
The MEO Portugal Cup of Surfing is made possible with the support of Tourism of Portugal, Portuguese Waves, MEO, EDP and Jeep. Both events will be broadcast live with popular hosts Paul Evans and Ben Mondy in the driver's seat and local talent joining the show. Plenty of exclusive content will air to complement the production and give avid surf fans their first taste of pro surfing in the ocean in months.
All events and dates subject to change due to applicable COVID-19 related restrictions, including regional travel restrictions
Hype Builds with Pro Anglet Web Series in August
The Pro Anglet has been a staple event on the Qualifying Series for the past five years, and although 2020 will not see the QS run due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans are in for a treat with the release of a brand new web series depicting the short but extremely rich history of the event.
Dive deep into the exciting stories that made the Pro Anglet a surfer's favorite with Episode 1 airing today, featuring conversations with past winners and hot locals, and relive some of the best moments from the past five editions. A new episode will be released each Wednesday until the series finale on September 25.
The series will live on WorldSurfLeague.com.