There will be no Quiksilver Pro this year on the beaches of Hossegor. The surf competition, which was to take place from October 12 to 23, has been canceled by the World Surf League (WSL) for financial reasons. A disappointment for all fans and for the city, which has hosted the event for thirty years.
According to a press release published on Friday, the world surfing league indicates that it has not been able ” obtain the necessary support to make the event financially viable. » Hossegor was to host a stage of Challenger Serieswhich qualify for the Championship Tourthe world championship.
Bad surprise for the city
Christophe Vignaud, the mayor of Hossegor, had the unpleasant surprise to learn it via this press release : “ We are really disappointed with this decision and the way of doing it. When I say us, I am also talking about the elected representatives of Seignosse, Capbreton and Hossegor, since the competition takes place on the coast of the three municipalities he laments.
WSL could perhaps have found the means to fill this gap.
For the moment, he has no no further details on the reasons of this cancellation, two months before the event: ” The Quiksilver Pro has been around for thirty years. For budgetary reasons it seems that the WSL has not come to an agreement with its main sponsor, Boardriders [N.D.L.R. : maison mère des marques Quiksilver et Roxy], except that being a commercial company, WSL could perhaps have found the means to fill this gap “says Christophe Vignaud.
Loss of earnings for the late tourist season
The cancellation of the sporting event is also bad news for the area : “ This is a shortfall in terms of tourism during this off-season, which is very beautiful for us. When you have people on the beaches for a week, these people will consume, go to restaurants, perhaps stay there. Even if the competition takes place on one of our waves, it also affects the economy of neighboring towns and the Sud-Landes sector. explains the mayor of Hossegor.
The first competition of its kind in Hossegor took place in 1987, under the name of the Rip Curl Pro Landes. Since 2021, it is no longer part of the World Surfing Championship but has turned into a qualifying event (Challenger Series) for the rise in Championship Tour (CT).