<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>The combined men’s and women’s QS5,000 event is expected to see over 200 competitors from all a</span><span>round the globe, dueling it out for important qualifying points as they look to secure a place on the elite WSL Championship Tour. Some of surfing's elite level competitors including </span><em><strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/joan-duru" target="_blank">Joan Duru</a></strong></em> (FRA), <em><strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/leonardo-fioravanti" target="_blank">Leonardo Fioravanti</a></strong></em> (ITA) and <em><strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/paige-hareb" target="_blank">Paige Hareb</a></strong></em> (NZL) have already entered the 2020 event.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“WSL is extremely excited to be returning to Hainan Island in China to kick start the 2020 WSL QS season,” said WSL Asia Pacific General Manager Andrew Stark. “The World Surf League has a great history of running fantastic events in China and the Corona Open China hosted by Wanning will be no exception. An event of this size will see an impressive field of international surfers descend on the area.’’</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Corona Open China hosted by Wanning marks a return to China for the WSL, who last ran an event in the region in 2017.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> "Wanning is so excited to welcome the World Surf League back in 2020," said Mayor Zhou of Wanning. "Wanning, on the island of Hainan is in a beautiful location that provides excellent weather and waves for surfers to enjoy. The Corona Open China hosted by Wanning is a very important event for Wanning and we’re excited about the potential growth for this event for many years to come.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Walter Sun, Brand Director at Corona in China added, “Corona has been a proud partner of the WSL since 2015 and is thrilled to be the title sponsor of the event at <strong><em><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Spots/riyue-bay" target="_blank">Riyue Bay</a></em></strong>. We look forward to expanding on our global involvement with surf through this amazing event in China”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <strong>2020 Corona Open China hosted by Wanning (</strong><em><strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Events/mens-corona-open-china-hosted-by-wanning-2020" target="_blank">Men's</a></strong></em><strong> and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Events/womens-corona-open-china-hosted-by-wanning-2020" target="_blank">Women's</a>)</strong> will run from <strong>January 6 – 12</strong> and be broadcast live on <em><strong><a href="https://www.worldsurfleague.com/" target="_blank">www.worldsurfleague.com</a></strong></em> and on the free <em><strong><a href="https://worldsurfleague.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c75f4cf1e19118d57c2f963e&id=56d1f4df33&e=2ee39f75b0" target="_blank">WSL App</a></strong></em>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">For more information, please visit <em><strong><a href="https://www.worldsurfleague.com/" target="_blank">WorldSurfLeague.com</a></strong></em>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>About the WSL</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The World Surf League (WSL) is dedicated to celebrating the world's best surfing on the world's best waves through a variety of best-in-class audience platforms. The organization, headquartered in Santa Monica, is a global sport with regional offices in Australia, Africa, North America, South America, Hawaii, Japan and Europe. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The WSL has been championing the world's best surfing since 1976, annually running more than 180 global events across the Men's and Women's Championship Tours, the Big Wave Tour, Qualifying Series, Junior and Longboard Championships, as well as the WSL Big Wave Awards. The League possesses a deep appreciation for the sport's rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation and performance at the highest levels, and in doing so crowns the undisputed Men’s and Women’s World Champions across all tours.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Showcasing the world's best surfing on its digital platform at WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL has a passionate global fan base with millions tuning in to see world-class athletes like Kelly Slater, Stephanie Gilmore, Tyler Wright, John Florence, Lakey Peterson, Paige Alms, Kai Lenny, Steven Sawyer, Soleil Errico, Carissa Moore, Gabriel Medina, Courtney Conlogue and more battle on the most dynamic field of play of any global sport.</div>