Special coverage presented by Garabito Sports City, Essential CR, LAFISE Bank y ACOS Group 

The QS returned to Costa Rica after an eight-year absence. And few WSL events have been held in the country, despite it being one of the surfing capitals of Latin America and the world.

The ACOS Group, led by Carla Gallardo, was responsible for the project. Working in conjunction with the municipality of Garabito and several private companies, it was finally achieved and was a success.

Overflowing with entries, Playa Hermosa, as always sending fun and competitive waves and a top level of surfing that crowned Hayde Rodgers and Alana López (the former with a 10 included in the grand final).

Below, the executive explains how she achieved it and what her assessment of the tournament is, as well as hinting at what's coming to the country, which all seems to be good news.

How was it finally possible to hold a QS event in Costa Rica?
Two years of work went into this process. We were able to establish this first date by working hand in hand with the municipality of Garabito, where we proposed a national project to develop Garabito Surf City through the World Surf Cities Network. Based on this project presented to the mayor's office, we began working to bring several international events.

As an opening to the proposed development to the local government, it was established to celebrate this first WSL date and strengthen what is to come.

Why did it take so many years for this to happen?
Two organizations that held QSs here ended up in bad shape, with debts, and this was clearly a red flag for them, making them reluctant to return. However, our organization took on the task of clearing Costa Rica's name and bringing them back in a safe and administratively sound manner.

What's your assessment of the event?
The best thing about this event was seeing the surfing community happy and excited again, thrilled to have a surf tournament back on the beach. It had been a long time since we'd seen that. And with the visit of so many international athletes, and the example set for the Costa Rican staff of the World Surf League's high standards in event production, it's a benchmark for us to strive for, and it was a complete success.

What conclusion do you draw from having managed to do it?
The truth is, anyone who wants to can. You shouldn't give up until the final whistle blows, until the heat is over; that's the most important takeaway.

How confident are you that it will happen again? And at what level (2000, 4000, or 6000)?
We aim to establish this date as part of the international QS calendars. There will definitely be another QS event in this series, 2000, next year, but we'll wait to see if we can continue to improve our scoring and bring more comprehensive events to the table soon.