- WSL / Tim Hain

World Surf League Asia Pacific is excited to announce that it will be returning to the island of Bali, Indonesia in 2022 for the inaugural Vans Bali Pro Presented by East Ventures Qualifying Series 1000 and Pro Junior events this March 8 - 9. The event will launch the Asia regional tour and be the first WSL event in the Indonesian archipelago since September 2019 and be held at ‘Halfways' at Kuta Beach.

The Vans Bali Pro Presented by East Ventures is expected to attract nearly 100 of the region's best up and coming surfers as they set their sights on Challenger Series qualification or a spot at the 2022 WSL World Junior Championships.

"WSL is so excited to be returning to the wave haven of Bali," said WSL APAC General Manager Andrew Stark. "This event is going to play a huge role in the development of up and coming surfers in the region and help set their pathway to the Challenger Series for 2022 not to mention the World Junior Championships. We can't wait to see the next generation of surfers from this region take on the fun beach breaks of ‘Halfways' at Kuta and would like to thank our partners at ASC for their hard work in helping get this event off the ground. We hope this is the first of many events to be held in Indonesia this year. It's a country that is so special in the hearts of all traveling surfers around the world."

The event will be held at the ‘Halfways' beach break section of Kuta which offers lefts and rights with turn sections, ramps for airs and at times barrels, making it a great location for a competition of this type. Head of Marketing Communications at Vans Indonesia, Fabiandi, is excited to have Vans be a part of this new WSL event.

"Vans is the original action sports brand and global icon of creative self-expression," Fabiandi said. "Vans continues its mission to become a platform to support creative and positive activities, especially in the field of extreme sports. Vans is proud to be the main sponsor in supporting the World Surf League Qualifying Series event which will be held at Kuta Beach, Bali. Especially for this event that will present WSL Juniors with an opportunity to advance this sport."

Indonesian surfing legend and ASC Representative Tipi Jabrik echoed Fabiandi's sentiments and is excited for the event to not only bring professional surfing back to Indonesia but to also promote environmental awareness in the country.

"It's been a massive effort from ASC, WSL and PSOI to get this event off the ground after 2 years of dealing with the pandemic," Jabrik said. "It is so important for the surfers in this region to have an event that can help qualify for this year's Challenger Series as there hasn't been these opportunities since 2019. We're proud to continue to build momentum with surfing in Indonesia after we had Rio Waida represent the country at the Olympics last year and we hope to build the profile of the sport and give more opportunities to up and coming competitors from the region. That is the main aim of this event. That and also to promote awareness around waste and pollution - this will be a plastic free event and we will be educating competitors on what they can do to help this major issue in Bali, Indonesia and the world."

The 2022 Vans Bali Pro Presented by East Ventures QS1,000 and Pro Junior event will run from March 8 - 9. For more information head to WorldSurfLeauge.com or download the Free WSL App.

The 2022 Vans Bali Pro Presented by East Ventures is supported by Vans Indonesia, East Ventures, Bintang, Mamaka by Ovolo, Earth Island

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