Graham Stapelberg, president of the North, Central and African region of the WSL, an authority who has worked for the WSL for decades, shared a 15-minute conference yesterday, Friday, October 11, at the Salvadoran Club.

Stapelberg provided five key updates on the workings of the WSL and future plans in a friendly chat with partners and journalists.

Below the details:

1: PUNTA ROCA PERMANENT ON THE TOUR AND TO SIGN A CONTRACT FOR FOUR MORE YEARS AND THE CHANCES THAT THE LONGBOARD FINALS STAY HERE

With the announcement of the 2025 calendar, the fourth consecutive edition of the CT in Salvadoran lands was confirmed, this time in the stage prior to the mid-year cutoff.

“Punta Roca has become a permanent stop on our Championship Tour calendar, which I think is an incredible achievement and I want to thank Morena (Váldez), President Bukele and obviously Alejo (Campos) has been key in implementing this as well,” Stapelberg said at the beginning of his speech.

He added: “We are looking at a new four-year agreement with the government to continue holding this event in Punta Roca, something that I think is an incredible milestone.

Referring to the recently announced calendar, he said: “The increase from 10 to 12 events shows the demand for the CT.”

“In addition to that, we had very positive conversations with Morena and Karim Bukele about reaching a long-term agreement for longboarding to stay here in El Sunzal as well, something that I think is appropriate. I must add to that that surfers love coming here, both longboarders and shortboarders,” he explained.

He added: “Sunzal is definitely a world-class wave for longboarding and it is fitting that it is the final event on the calendar and we hope to see it remain the final event in the years to come.”

2: SALVADORAN WILDCARDS IN EL SALVADOR AND OUTSIDE EL SALVADOR

Asked by the public if there would be more wildcards for Salvadorans, Stapelberg highlighted the one given to Bryan annually and said that although it is not possible in the finals due to the format, wildcards could be given in other tournaments in other countries.
“I had a conversation earlier today about giving wildcards to longboarders, not in the finals which have a specific format, but there is still the opportunity to give wildcards to longboarders in other events around the world, based on our commitment to help develop surfing in El Salvador. I think that is important,” he said.

“It is also important for us to help develop women as well. For now we have not been able to give a wildcard to women in shortboarding in the CT but I would love to do so in the future as women’s performance continues to improve. But it is not only about giving wildcards in events that take place in El Salvador but also giving them in other events around the world which is something that I think creates an opportunity for athletes here to travel and be exposed to other locations and countries around the world,” she added.

Julissa Castillo, current Central American champion and finalist of the ALAS of Nicaragua, requested a wildcard last year.

The women's wildcard was received by Tia Blanco (for the reality show) in the first edition of the Salvadoran CT tournament and then by Costa Rican Leilani McGonagle.

3: OLYMPICS AT SEA AND LONGBOARD OLYMPIC GAMES

Stapelberg was asked by the audience whether longboarding will be an Olympic sport, and he stated: “They are working on it. There will be a final decision in December about the location, it will definitely be in the ocean and secondly they are considering longboarding for the Olympic games which, as I said, the decision will be made at the end of December.”

Those working on this are the ISA, the IOC and the LA 2028 committee. Although the issue is not handled directly by Stapelberg and the WSL, the fact that it will be 100% in the sea goes hand in hand with what Fernando Aguerre has stated and disagrees with Medina and Toledo who have asked to do it in swimming pools.

4: CHANGE OF CUT AND FINAL FORMAT

Asked by DUKE if he sees a future where things could go back to the way they were and there will be no mid-year or end-of-year cuts, or if they are here to stay, Stapelberg said: “In the announcement we made yesterday we increased the cut from Stage 5 to Stage 7 which I think is a step in the right direction and we are constantly reviewing what the long-term impact is and what model is viable and sustainable for the WSL so we will continue to look at that and refine that.”

“I think we learned a lot from introducing the cut and the finals. Not everyone is happy with this and we understand that but when you look at what happened at Trestles this year, the excitement factor and the exposure we received as a sport; being able to complete and determine a world champion in one day was still very powerful for us but we will continue to evaluate that, for sure,” he added.

“For now 2025 is a done deal, we will make the cut at stage seven in Margaret River and we will do the finals in Fiji, that is a done deal. We have not made a decision yet on what will happen in 2026,” he concluded on the subject.

5: EQUAL NUMBER OF MEN AND WOMEN IN THE CT

Asked by DUKE if we will ever see equal numbers of men and women in the CT, he said: “We are proud that we implemented equal pay, I think we will continue to monitor it and I think it is safe to say that as women’s performances continue to improve and get better and better, and they are at their best moment in history, we will see an increase in the number of women in the future, there is no doubt about it.”