World champions in surfing will start being crowned in a one-day, surf-off format in 2021, a change from the season-long title race of the Championship Tour.
World Surf League CEO Erik Logan cited last year’s men’s title race that came down to the last heat of the eight-month, 11-contest season at the Billabong Pipe Masters on Oahu’s North Shore in December.
Italo Ferreira prevailed over Gabriel Medina in a battle of Brazilians, who are medal favorites for the sport’s Olympic debut next year.
“We’re very fortunate that all of the elements aligned for it to happen, but as we know, it’s not every year that we get a world championship heat,” Logan said, noting discussions on the change began before the coronavirus pandemic.