World Surf League adds Philippines stop amid ranking shifts

The World Surf League (WSL) has announced that the penultimate stop of the Champions Tour will take place at Cloud 9 in Siargao, Philippines. This new location serves to ensure the season maintains at least 12 stops following the cancellation of the Abu Dhabi event due to geopolitical instability in the Middle East.

Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina criticized the decision to change the tour route, calling the announcement ‘a joke’ on social media. Despite the criticism, Medina recently secured a second-place finish in Peniche, Portugal, after a close final against American Griffin Colapinto.

Following the Peniche event, Medina moved up to fourth place in the WSL rankings with 43,210 points. The current leader of the championship is Yago Dora, followed by Ítalo Ferreira and Griffin Colapinto.