Cover photo: WSL - Lynton 

The WSL and Maui locals are giving differing accounts of why the Peahi Challenge will not be held this Hawaiian season, The Inertia reported this week.

For the locals, an agreement could not be reached between the parties on how to carry out the event. Basically, the biggest point of contention was how the event is not prepared to receive the large number of people who go to a place that is private land and the lack of infrastructure for this.

According to locals, they knew three months ago that the event would not take place because there was a meeting between parties, locals and WSL and that, locals say, the WSL was not willing to cooperate with the owners of the land with transportation, parking, space for the audience and so on.

The WSL on the other hand says quite the opposite, a spokesperson told The Inertia that they had a transport plan previously approved by local authorities that included private security and police on site to enforce illegal parking.

And the event is not taking place because it is private property and due to the conditions of the civil liability insurance, they cannot have the event open to the public.

He added that they never reached a point where they were asked for anything by the landowners and that they are willing to reopen negotiations so that the tournament can be held next season.

The institution had announced last week in a one-paragraph, almost hidden statement that the event would not take place this season.