WSL South America CEO Xandi Fontes told DUKE that he likes the idea that the Oi Rio Pro trials will feature the best in the South American WSL rankings and not just Brazilians, although he noted that there would be some challenges to overcome due to the way the test is set up prior to the only South American CT.

“I also like the idea of ​​doing some trials with the best South Americans in the WSL South America ranking., But to do that we have to convince the Rio de Janeiro surfing federation (FESERJ) and the local athletes,” Fontes explained, adding: “If the decision were ours, the WSL South America’s, it would certainly be easier and we could implement it next year.”

The executive noted that for this year's trials, the South American male champion, Wesley Santos, who is Brazilian but not from Rio, was taken into account. The same did not happen with Dominic Barona from Ecuador, who was the South American champion.

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Faced with this position, DUKE asked Fontes about who gives the power to FESERJ to provide the only wildcard that is still available. Fontes answered: “Since the event is held in the state of Rio de Janeiro and there is very strong support from the state government, this is a request from the state sports department. The same thing was done in Florianópolis, when the event was in Santa Catarina,” he explained.

Asked whether the WSL is not the ultimate authority and can make and break these contracts, the authority replied: “We cannot promise anything. This is a local situation and needs to be treated with respect and due consideration. In Peru it would be no different.”

The trials of the biggest surfing event held in South America, the Oi Rio Pro, only invite local surfers, mostly from Rio, who often have a lower ranking than many non-Brazilian South Americans.