Australian surfers will get the opportunity to stoke their competitive flame with the announcement that Surfing NSW, Surfing Australia and the state branches will run the Australian Open of Surfing Tour in late 2020.
The series which will feature a minimum of seven events will take place in the latter months of 2020 and provide professional and aspiring surfers with the opportunity to win prize money and gain momentum going into 2021.
2019 Vissla Sydney Surf Pro Champion Jordy Lawler (Narrabeen, NSW) is eager to get back into the competitive arena and get his roll going before the beginning of the new year.
“I think there’s a lot of surfers like me who have really missed the opportunity to compete since everything unfolded with the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Lawler. “It’s awesome to hear that there will be seven events that will give people like me the chance to win some prize money and get back into the spirit of competing.”
Surfing NSW CEO Luke Madden said the domestic tour is also tailored to help foster and nurture Australian talent.
“The 2020 Australian Open of Surfing Tour is the perfect platform for professional and grassroots surfers to come together in Australia to compete in a series of events in decent locations. We really hope we can build this series each year into a prestigious title and tour similar to the national series events we used to see in the 80’s and 90’s.”
The announcement of the new tour coincides with the recent news that professional surfing would not recommence until the end of 2020.
Former World Surf League Championship Tour (WSL) and current coach to World Champion Tyler Wright, Glenn Hall emphasised the importance of a series like this for surfers to keep their competitive skills intact.
“I would encourage any surfers I’m working with to enter an event like this in order to keep their blade sharp and to remain competitive,” said Hall.
The 2020 Australian Open of Surfing Tour will see events in:
- Sunshine Coast, Qld – 19th – 20th September, 2020
- Gold Coast, Qld – 31st October – 1st November 2020
- Cronulla – 8th – 9th November, 2020
- Victoria – Date and location TBC
- Kiama – 22nd – 23rd November, 2020
- Coffs Harbour – 29th – 30th November, 2020
- Northern Beaches – 13th – 14th December, 2020
More potential events and dates will be released in the coming month.
All events will adhere to strict COVID-19 policies and regulations outlined by the Australian Government and council protocols.
Entries into the events will open in August.
For more information, check out surfingnsw.com.au in the coming weeks for constant event updates.
The NSW leg of the 2020 Australian Open of Surfing Tour is proudly supported Destination Kiama, Coffs Harbour City Council, Sutherland Shire Council and Northern Beaches Council.
