<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;">It’s the sixth edition of what has become a surfer and fan-favorite event thanks to the quality of the venue, waves and the general laid back vibe of Anglet. Each year the best surfers from all over Europe set up camp on any of the numerous Nouvelle-Aquitaine coastline spots in search for the perfect training ground. By the end of August, they descend on the Chambre d’Amour beachbreak where they’re met with fun summer conditions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The competition is fierce and this year will be no different. The very best of European surfing will be there fighting for the event win and a solid start in their qualifying campaign for the 2022 Challenger Series.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Reigning European Champions <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/vasco-ribeiro" target="_blank">Vasco Ribeiro</a> (PRT) and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/leticia-canales-bilbao" target="_blank">Leticia Canales Bilbao</a> (ESP) will headline the rosters alongside former Championship Tour athletes <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/joan-duru" target="_blank">Joan Duru</a> (FRA) and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/aritz-aranburu" target="_blank">Aritz Aranburu</a> (ESP). An army of perennial QS standouts and the best young up-and-comers will complete the 120 Men and 56 Women fields next week.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s also the first event back in Europe after the Tokyo Olympic Games, and the public can look forward to watching Olympians <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/ramzi-boukhiam" target="_blank">Ramzi Boukhiam</a> (MAR), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/leon-glatzer" target="_blank">Leon Glatzer</a> (DEU), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/anat-lelior" target="_blank">Anat Lelior</a> (ISR), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/yolander-hopkins" target="_blank">Yolanda Hopkins</a> (PRT), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/teresa-bonvalot" target="_blank">Teresa Bonvalot</a> (PRT) and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/pauline-ado" target="_blank">Pauline Ado</a> (FRA) compete in Anglet.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Wildcards Announced for Rip Curl Pro Anglet </strong></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Rising young talent <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/kai-odriozola" target="_blank">Kai Odriozola</a> (ESP) and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/sophia-medina" target="_blank">Sophia Medina</a> (BRA), the sister of two-time World Champion Gabriel Medina, have been awarded wildcards into the event.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">15 year-old Odriozola is the oldest of two Basque brothers who burst onto the junior scene this year, and he’s already making waves, currently sitting in second position on the regional Under-18 rankings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At 16, Sophia Medina is also only starting to show up at events but already collecting accolades for her progressive surfing. Although points from this event won’t count towards her regional qualifying campaign, Medina will rack up experience against an unfamiliar field at a new location.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Season-Long Race for Challenger Series Qualification Starts in France</strong> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;">The 2021/22 European Qualifying Series started in July and will wrap up on April 10, 2022 before the brand new, full Challenger Series (CS) schedule gets underway. The Top 9 Men and 7 Women on the European rankings plus a wildcard in each field will get a seat at the CS table and a shot at qualifying for the ultimate battleground, the Championship Tour.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Between now and then, surfers will compete at various locations across the continent and beyond with events returning to the Azores, France, Portugal, Spain and more. All the events, dates are subject to change due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions in various countries.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Watch the Event Finals LIVE</strong> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For the first time, the final two days of competition at the Rip Curl Pro Anglet will be webcast LIVE on <a href="https://www.worldsurfleague.com/" target="_blank">WorldSurfLeague.com</a>, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/wsl/" target="_blank">WSL’s YouTube channel</a>, and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wslqs" target="_blank">WSL Qualifying Series Facebook page</a> with English commentary. Event broadcast partner MCS Extrême will feature the event LIVE with French commentary for the final two days as well. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Rip Curl Pro Anglet Press Event and Part</strong></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A press session will be held on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 at 6 p.m on the rooftop of the ‘Espace de l’ocean’. Mr <strong>Claude Olive</strong>, Mayor of Anglet, <strong>Mathieu Lefin</strong>, President of Rip Curl Europe, <strong>Cheyne Bradburn</strong>, Events and Marketing at WSL, will be joined by surfers <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/pauline-ado" target="_blank">Pauline Ado</a></strong> (FRA), <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/teresa-bonvalot" target="_blank">Teresa Bonvalot</a> (PRT) and <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/kyllian-guerin" target="_blank">Kyllian Guerin</a> (FRA).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A private party will follow from 7-11 p.m, hosted by Rip Curl.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>COVID-19 Updates</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The health and safety of athletes, staff, and the local community are of the utmost importance and there are a robust set of procedures in place to keep everyone safe. Athletes, staff, media and the public will be required to show proof of the “Health Pass” before accessing any of the event facilities or the beach.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The WSL encourages fans to follow the event online and watch the final two days of competition LIVE at <a href="https://worldsurfleague.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c75f4cf1e19118d57c2f963e&id=0214a56082&e=2ee39f75b0" target="_blank">WorldSurfLeague.com</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Restrictions on large gatherings unfortunately mean that the Surf de Nuit has been cancelled this year and will be back in 2022, conditions permitting.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 2021 Rip Curl Pro Anglet (<a href="https://www.boardriding.com/events/mens-pro-anglet-2021" target="_blank">Men's</a> & <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/events/womens-pro-anglet-2021-tentative" target="_blank">Women's</a>) is scheduled from <strong>August 24-29, 2021</strong>, at <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/spots/chambre-damour" target="_blank">La Chambre d’Amour, Anglet - Nouvelle-Aquitaine / France</a>. For all results, photos, videos and press releases, log on to <a href="https://worldsurfleague.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c75f4cf1e19118d57c2f963e&id=0214a56082&e=2ee39f75b0" target="_blank">worldsurfleague.com</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>The Rip Curl Pro Anglet is supported by the City of Anglet, Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Council, <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/brands/rip-curl" target="_blank">Rip Curl</a>, Tourtel Twist (supplier), Caraïbos, Groupe CLIM, MCS Extrême and Virgin Radio.</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The World Surf League would like to sincerely thank all the partners, sponsors and suppliers of the 2021 Rip Curl Pro Anglet who allow this event to run despite the uncertainty of the current global pandemic.</strong></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>About MCS Extrême</strong></div> <div style="text-align: justify;">The 2021 Rip Curl Pro Anglet LIVE webcast will be available with French commentary exclusively on MCS Extrême. This brand new platform is the only one showcasing all the best surfing, LIVE and in French. You can watch the Rip Curl WSL Finals, as well as all four Challenger Series events of 2021 including the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France from October 16-24, 2021.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aside from all the WSL action, MCS Extrême will offer 600hrs of LIVE extreme sports (2021/22 season) featuring FISE, X Games, NitroCircus World Games & Nitro Rallycross, Street League Skateboarding, King of the Air and more. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Enjoy a unique and tailor-made experience, with documentaries and innovative shows to bring you closer to the athletes and their craft. LIVE action, interviews, backstage shots… MCS Extrême is simply Extreme.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Watch the 2021 Rip Curl Pro Anglet LIVE for free at <a href="https://worldsurfleague.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c75f4cf1e19118d57c2f963e&id=29f9db7495&e=2ee39f75b0" target="_blank">mcsextreme.tv</a> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>About Rip Curl</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/brands/rip-curl" target="_blank">Rip Curl</a> is a world-leading brand of surfing sportswear as well as a major athletic sponsor, with manufacturing and sales facilities around the globe. Since launching in 1969, this hugely popular global brand has been committed to providing surfers with all the equipment they need, no matter where their travels lead them. Its dynamic line of products ranges from wetsuits and surfboards to apparel, accessories, watches, mountain wear and footwear.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> For more information, please visit <a href="https://worldsurfleague.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c75f4cf1e19118d57c2f963e&id=660429bf2a&e=2ee39f75b0" target="_blank">ripcurl.com</a> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>About the WSL</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Established in 1976, the <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/associations/world-surf-league" target="_blank">World Surf League (WSL)</a> is the home of the world's best surfing. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> A global sports, media and entertainment company, the WSL oversees international tours and competitions, a studios division creating over 500+ hours of live and on-demand content, and via affiliate WaveCo, the home of the world's largest high performance, human-made wave. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, the WSL has regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The WSL annually crowns the men’s and women’s surfing World Champions. The global Tours and Competition division oversees and operates more than 180 global contests each year across the Championship Tour, the development tiers, including the Challenger, Qualifying and Junior Series, as well as longboard and big wave properties. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Launched in 2019, WSL Studios is an independent producer of unscripted television projects, including documentaries and series, which provide unprecedented access to athletes, events, and locations around the world. WSL events and content are distributed on linear television in over 743M+ homes worldwide and across digital and social media platforms around the world, including WorldSurfLeague.com. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> WaveCo includes the Surf Ranch Lemoore facility and the utilizing and licensing of the Kelly Slater Wave System.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;">For more information, please visit <a href="https://worldsurfleague.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c75f4cf1e19118d57c2f963e&id=3a02c92fac&e=2ee39f75b0" target="_blank">WorldSurfLeague.com</a>. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">Press Release Source: www.worldsurfleague.com</div>