No Pro at Easter

A LACK of quarantine spaces and the risk of a coronavirus outbreak in colder weather are being blamed for the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach losing its traditional Easter slot in the World Surf League (WSL) lineup this year.

After some speculation last week, the WSL announced on Sunday that Newcastle would host the fourth Championship Tour (CT) event in Australia for male and female surfers.

The Newcastle Pro will start the Australian leg of the CT on April 1 – the spot occupied by the Rip Curl Pro for most of the past 60 years – with 120 surfers and support staff to arrive from Los Angeles and undergo 14 days of quarantine in Sydney.

It is unknown whether an event at Bells will now be second, third or fourth on the leg.

The WSL’s website still lists the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach on the 2021 schedule, alongside the Boost Mobile Margaret River Pro and Corona Open Gold Coast presented by Billabong, but all three events have a “tentative” status and are slated to be held between April 1 and May 31.

In a statement, the WSL said they were “currently working with Australia’s state governments to finalise the final three Australian CT events and will release the updated schedule as soon as possible”.

Torquay’s surfing community reacted with disappointment at the news.

“We value the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach very much – it is an integral part of our identity and economy,” Surf Coast Shire mayor Libby Stapleton said.

“Whatever the outcome this year we look forward to staging the Pip Curl Pro at Bells Beach for many years to come.”

The annual surfing event attracts tens of thousands of visitors and is a significant money-spinner, with Cr Stapleton estimating it injects about $8 million into the economy over Easter.

In response to questions to Victorian Tourism, Sports and Major Events Minister Martin Pakula, an Andrews Government spokesperson said Victoria had been working on increasing its cap on international arrivals to allow for a greater number of returning Australians to quarantine in the state “at the Commonwealth’s request”.

“Given the stated priority of accommodating returning Australians, we were unable to provide the WSL with a guarantee regarding quarantine places for international surfers within the time frame required by them.”

Speaking on local radio on Tuesday this week, South Barwon Labor MP Darren Cheeseman said the Chief Health Officer had advised that COVID-19 spread more rapidly during the cooler times of the year such as Easter.

“From my perspective, keeping international surfers away and out of Victoria is the right decision.

“These decisions are made by the Chief Health Officer and his team of experts, and the decision was made that it was not an appropriate time to run the event.

“We saw the economic consequences last year of the pandemic getting out of control, and that risk is too much of a risk for us to take.”

Corangamite Labor federal member Libby Coker said the news “was as much a shock to me as it was to the community”.

“It’s important to remember that quarantine, as per the Australian Constitution, is a federal responsibility.

“If Prime Minister Scott Morrison had not shirked his constitutional responsibility, we may not have ended up in this situation.”

Victorian Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson rejected this, saying the Andrews Government’s “mismanagement was solely to blame”.

“International passenger caps are set and managed solely by the states.

“National Cabinet agreed last year that quarantine arrangements for arriving travellers would be managed by each individual state and territory. Arrival caps are also set by individual states and territories according to their capacity.”