The Gold Coast is set to return to the top tier of the World Surf League, more than five years since it was last held.
The WSL will confirm today that Snapper Rocks will once again host the world’s best surfers from 2025.
The event is slated to happen after the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach in Victoria.
The Gold Coast WSL event was last held in 2019 before COVID saw it scrapped in 2020.
The state government’s refusal to provide quarantine exemptions in 2021 saw it moved to Sydney and it hasn’t been back since.
But it will make a stunning return next year after the WSL signed a four-year deal with Gold Coast Council and Tourism and Events Queensland.
“The WSL is absolutely thrilled to see Snapper Rocks once again become a stop on the elite Championship Tour,” WSL APAC President Andrew Stark said.
“It’s an event with a fantastic history, held in a location that has professional surfing in its DNA. The long, perfect reeling walls of the ‘Super Bank’ are one of the wonders of the surfing world, and we can’t wait to see the world’s best competing for Championship Tour points on one of the planet’s most high-performance waves.”
The event will provide a massive boost to the city with an estimated 14,000 spectators expected while $2.9 million is predicted to be pumped into the local economy each year.
Eight-time world champ Steph Gilmore says she’s excited to see it back.
“It’s obviously my home break and one of my favourite waves on the planet, but it’s incredibly high performance and offers a bit of everything, which is fun for both the surfers and the fans,” Gilmore said”
There’s really nothing like having that perfect canvas in front of you with a huge crowd cheering from the beach just meters away. It’s a true spectacle and has such a rich history. It belongs on the Championship Tour, and I can’t wait to compete there again next year.”
The news comes ahead of the start of the Gold Coast Pro today.
