Starting this year, the Uruguayan Surf Union will implement a competition system very similar to the World Surf League Championship Tour, with an elite tournament that will bring together the top 30 in the ranking plus two wildcards and a second division that will be organized by regional departmental tournaments, the institution reported in a statement published on social media.

The only difference with the CT is that those who are in the first division cannot compete in the second division tournaments.

The order of the quotas will be assigned according to the 2018 ranking, with priority given to the first 30 to register and 2 places left free for the selection of wildcards in each event by the USU.

The circuit will take place between February and June 2019, with a minimum of four and a maximum of six stages.

For the second division, different local organizing committees were created in Maldonado, Rocha and Canelones, where three events will be held per department (nine in total), the best 10 athletes from the second division move up to the first division and the worst 10 from the first division go down.

“The idea is to promote and enhance surfing in each locality and all the actors who want to be part of it,” the statement said. “In the second division, each participant will represent their department so that a departmental ranking will be created in which there will be one champion per department.”

In addition, a champion department will be proclaimed in a second division national final event.

It was also announced that juniors and longboarders will have the same circuit format as always, with four dates per year.