Dark days.
The World Surf League is on hiatus, currently,
with various professional surfers and staff en route to South
Africa where event number nine, the J-Bay Open, is set to kickoff
shortly. Jordy Smith will be there and so will Kelly Slater, who
has miraculously recovered from spinal meningitis. Chief of Sport
Jessi Miley-Dyer will be there, likely in a fancy swimming pool,
but Chief Executive Erik Logan will not because he was fired for…
well, let’s just say more as the story develops.
Six days without professional surfing can seem an eternity,
though, and surf fans were very much looking forward to the World
Beach Games, hosted in Bali this year. Over 1,500 athletes from 100
countries were set to compete in the “youth-focused tournament”
featuring sports including beach soccer, surfing, sailing and beach
volleyball.
While organizers may not know that surfing is no longer “youth
focused,” it doesn’t really matter because overnight Indonesia has
withdrawn as host thereby cancelling the fun.
The government cited budget issues though savvy geopolitical
thinkers think Israel’s inclusion is likely the true cause.
Three months ago, FIFA wagged a finger and removed Indonesia’s
right to host the U-20 Men’s World Cup after the predominately
Muslim nation objected to Israel being invited. The country has no
diplomatic ties with the bravest Middle Eastern apartheid state and
anti-Israel sentiment runs high amongst the population.
Indonesia National Olympic Committee spokesperson Raja Sapta
Oktohari said the World Beach Games were cancelled “with a heavy
heart,” but that did not stop the Association of National Olympic
Committees from angrily declaring, “It is with great surprise and
extreme disappointment that ANOC has learnt that the Indonesian
Olympic Committee (KOI) has withdrawn from its commitment to host
the ANOC World Beach Games and the ANOC General Assembly in August
2023.”
Though I am no sporting body governor nor diplomat, I would
suggest something a little stronger. Something like this:
To the WSL community,
I want to address the conversation that happened in our
community following the recent Championship Tour event at the Surf
Ranch. As you likely know, a small number of athletes made
statements questioning the judging of the competition and the final
results.
I want to respond directly to those statements, however, we
first need to address a much more important issue. In recent days,
a number of surfers, WSL judges, and employees have been subject to
harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence, including death
threats, as a direct result of those statements. Those things
should never happen in our sport or any sport, and we’re devastated
that members of our community have been subject to them. It is an
important reminder to us all that words have consequences. We hope
the entire WSL community stands with us in rejecting all forms of
harassment and intimidation.
In terms of the statements made, we completely reject the
suggestion that the judging of our competitions is in any way
unfair or biased. These claims are not supported by any
evidence.
Firstly, the judging criteria are provided to the athletes
ahead of each competition. All athletes competing at the Surf Ranch
Pro received these materials on May 20th. Every athlete had the
opportunity to ask questions about the criteria at that time. None
of the athletes who made these statements took advantage of this
opportunity at the Surf Ranch Pro.
Secondly, our rules allow any athlete to review the scoring
of any wave, with the judges, and receive a more detailed
explanation of how they were scored with the judges. This process
has been in place for a number of years, and is the direct result
of working with the surfers to bring more transparency to the
judging process. It is not acceptable, and is a breach of league
policy, for surfers to choose not to engage with the proper process
and instead air grievances on social media.
A number of athletes at the Surf Ranch Pro received points
for elements such as progression and variety, so it is simply
incorrect to suggest these are not taken into account in the
judging criteria. Furthermore, our rules have been applied
consistently throughout the season, including at events this season
that were won by athletes who are now questioning those same
rules.
Surfing is an ever-evolving, subjective sport and we welcome
a robust debate around the progression of our sport and the
criteria used to judge our competitions. However, it is
unacceptable for any athlete to question the integrity of our
judges who, like our surfers, are elite professionals.
No one person or group of people are above the integrity of
the sport.
Sincerely,
Erik Logan
WSL Chief Executive Officer
Powerful.
