<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><a href="https://www.worldsurfleague.com/posts/451418/important-announcement-by-wsl-ceo-erik-logan-april-28-2020" target="_blank">In a video released on all WSL Channels today</a></strong>, WSL's CEO Erik Logan said to fans: "Where and when we will run this year is still very much an open question, but we will continue to work with governments, world health authorities and our local communities on returning to the lineup.” </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“That said, we are extending the postponement of all WSL events through June. This means the scheduled Championship Tour stop in June, the Oi Rio Pro, is officially postponed in hopes that travel conditions ease enough to run this year. Our ‘Next Call’ update for the 2020 Championship Tour season and all our events will be on June 1.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The WSL has also announced an evolved Tours and Competitions format for 2021 covering the Championship Tour, the Challenger Series, and the Qualifying Series.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> In the video, Logan also said: “Prior to COVID-19, we had been working hard on how we would evolve the Championship Tour, the path to the CT, and all our tours in 2022 and beyond. The more we worked on this transformation, the more we became excited and it became clear that our pause due to COVID really allowed us to see that now is the time to accelerate these changes.” </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Starting in 2021 the women’s and men’s World Titles will be decided in a single day of competition on the last day of the Championship Tour season, with the top surfers battling for their respective titles in a new surf-off format. This evolution has been part of a multi-year discussion, and the final design is a collaboration between the surfers, partners, and the WSL.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Two-time WSL Champion, <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/tyler-wright" target="_blank">Tyler Wright</a></strong>, said, “I feel like the new format raises the intensity of the entire World Title situation. The difference is that you get to win in the water, which is huge! It comes down to nobody else, and that kind of intensity, that kind of competitive pressure, raises the bar. It’s pretty exciting!”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> “The world title being decided in the final, between two surfers in the running, is super exciting,” said WSL Surfer’s Representative, <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/conner-coffin" target="_blank">Conner Coffin</a></strong>. “I was glued to Pipe last year on the last day. So it’s a great moment for the sport and it’s exciting to think that from 2021 onwards that will always be how the world title is decided.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In addition to the redesign of the Championship Tour (CT), the schedule will be updated to create distinct seasons between the CT and the Challenger Series. This update will not only provide an enhanced showcase for the surfers, but also allow those who fail to requalify through the CT the opportunity to perform on the Challenger Series and requalify for the elite CT the very next season as opposed to waiting an entire year. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“With the Challenger Series at a different time of the year you can highlight the up comers, you can highlight who is in the Challenger Series, you can highlight what’s new, who is coming up that is fresh, who is requalifying, and the people that drop off the CT will have an opportunity to go on and completely focus on the Challenger Series,” continued Wright.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Increased weight and value will also be given to regional Qualifying Series events to encourage up-and-coming surfers to develop closer to home without financially overleveraging themselves before jumping to the Challenger Series and beyond. The regional series will provide increased opportunities to celebrate regional stars, reduce economic pressure for surfers and sponsors, as well as drive media interest around those athletes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We’ll have more details soon but we’re really excited about what this means for surfers and surfing worldwide. We are approaching these updates and evolutions as holistically as possible,” said Logan. “Working with our entire community, we know we are going to emerge through this pandemic with a strong, exciting platform that propels professional surfing, and all surfing, forward in a positive and impactful manner.” </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For more information, please visit <strong><a href="https://www.worldsurfleague.com/" target="_blank">WorldSurfLeague.com</a></strong>.</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), established in 1976, is the enablement platform for surfing and surfers worldwide. 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;"> The WSL is a global organization, headquartered in Santa Monica and with regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA. The WSL possesses a deep appreciation for the sport's rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation, and performance at the highest levels.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The WSL is comprised of Tours & Events, celebrating the world’s best surfers across all disciplines and annually running more than 180 global contests and crowning the undisputed World Champions across all divisions; WSL WaveCo, where innovation meets experience; and WSL Studios, which offers best in class storytelling across competition, lifestyle, and conservation.</div>