As a Latin American, as a South American, as a neighbor of Brazil, I was so disappointed by the Onda do Bem event that took place on a beach in São Paulo today that I was left with no other option than to dedicate a constructive column to it.

These things can't happen!

How can we still be so third-world? Can you really not sell a normal surfing championship to a company? Do we have to invent this weird thing about celebrities, night surfing and LED lights?

It was one of the most boring championships in the world. No waves, no view, surfers fell either dazzled or without really understanding what was going on!

Why did the WSL Latin America make this change?

Europe: Surfing championship hoping for good waves.
Australia: Three surfing championships waiting two months for good waves.
United States: High-level surfing championship (yes, in a pool, hahaha, better than nothing -read here-).
Latin America: Terrajada.

If they would at least say that it is Brazil without a pandemic and that while the surfers were surfing there was a mega party on the shore… OK! It made sense for companies and for people.

But an online-based event that was barely watchable, with celebrities that nobody in the surfing world cares about… What nonsense!

As a Latino, I feel ashamed of what they did. And I think: Latin America has the best waves in the world… Today Ramón Navarro himself shared an epic Punta Lobos break, the same did the Peruvians, Costa Ricans, Salvadorans… And without going any further, in a couple of days in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay there will be huge waves.

What's going on?! We are still victims of a fake WSL South America that, to make matters worse, is now WSL Latin America, when in reality it is Brazilian!

Let's imagine this event (during the day, please, and without the LED lights antics) in Punta de Lobos pumping, or on La Isla de Punta Hermosa, in Lobitos, in Arica, in Iquique...

We must, once again (as happens with the trials of the only South American CT in which Latinos are ignored), stop and think about what the WSL Latin America does with Latin Americans and what it does with Brazilians.

I close this column with disappointment and shame at what the regional WSL does.

In a few days we will hear the green light for the European event and for the next event in Australia. We will see once again the contrast between what is done well and what is done badly.

What a sadness!