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World Surfing League to award equal prize money to men and women from 2019

WOMEN will be paid the same prize money as men across all World Surf League events from 2019 in a major move hailed by six time world champion Stephanie Gilmore as “unreal”.

Kelly Slater's landlocked surf break

WOMEN will be paid the same prize money as men across all World Surf League events from 2019 in a major move hailed by six time world champion Stephanie Gilmore as “unreal”.

The WSL this morning announced it will award equal prize money to male and female athletes for every WSL-controlled event in the 2019 season and beyond.

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“It’s wonderful news. I was pretty emotional when Sophie (Goldschmidt, WSL boss) told me,” Gilmore told The Daily Telegraph from the US.

Stephanie Gilmore in action on the World Surf League Championship Tour in Bali. Picture:. EPA/ED SLOANE
Stephanie Gilmore in action on the World Surf League Championship Tour in Bali. Picture:. EPA/ED SLOANE

“It’s unreal. I am proud to be a surfer today and cannot thank enough the women, and the men, who have come before me and fought so hard for this.”

Gilmore said she hope other sports will follow the lead of surfing.

“I hope this serves as a model for other sports, global organisations and society as a whole,” she said.

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“My fellow women athletes and I are honoured by the confidence in us, and inspired to reward this decision with ever higher levels of surfing.”

The move follows on from an outcry over the prize money disparity between male and female surfers at a junior event in South Africa earlier this year.

Surfing will also make its debut at the Tokyo Olympics.

“This is a huge step forward in our long-planned strategy to elevate women’s surfing and we are thrilled to make this commitment as we reveal our new 2019 schedule,” Goldschmidt said.

“This is the latest in a series of actions the League has undertaken to showcase our female athletes, from competing on the same quality waves as the men, to better locations, and increased investment and support.

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“This change is simply the right thing to do for the WSL and we would like to thank the many advocates who have worked for decades to help advance women’s surfing.

“We want to be at the forefront of pushing for equality in all walks of life, starting on the waves, and we feel very lucky to have women on our tour who are highly talented, iconic role models, and more than deserve this recognition as they stand alongside our extraordinary male athletes.”

Stephanie Gilmore hopes the WSL move to equal pay ‘serves as a model for other sports, global organisations and society as a whole.’
Stephanie Gilmore hopes the WSL move to equal pay ‘serves as a model for other sports, global organisations and society as a whole.’

Prize money equality will cover all WSL-controlled events including the world tour, the longboard tour and world junior championships.

“We will be working with our partners at competitions where we don’t control prize money, such as certain Qualifying Series events, to achieve equality as soon as possible,” said surfing commissioner Kieran Perrow.

Kelly Slater backed the decision.

“The women on the tour deserve this change. I’m so proud that surfing is choosing to lead sports in equality and fairness,” he said.

“The female WSL athletes are equally committed to their craft as the male athletes and should be paid the same. Surfing has always been a pioneering sport, and this serves as an example of that.”

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/swoop/world-surfing-league-to-award-equal-prize-money-to-men-and-women-from-2019/news-story/e77a2571fc7951f8802356d2c14d1a70