COOLANGATTA, Queensland /Australia (Thursday, December 15, 2022) - The World Surf League (WSL) Asia Pacific (APAC) is excited to announce two 2023 Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) competitions. The Noosa Longboard Pro and the Manly Classic will run in the first half of the year and help decide the region's representatives on the WSL Longboard Tour for 2023.
"Australia has an incredible surfing history and a lot of that history is attached to longboarding which is part of the fabric of Australian surfing culture," said WSL APAC President Andrew Stark. "With that in mind, we're looking forward to holding three Longboard events across three states in 2023, all starting at the perfect points of Noosa, then the world famous Manly Beach and of course the iconic Bells Beach for one of four stops on the WSL Longboard Tour. We're proud to provide our regional surfers with a pathway to the Longboard Tour and then to host the world's best at the Bells Beach Longboard Classic in August. We'd like to thank all of the event partners that have helped bring this pathway to life and can't wait to see the best longboarders in action in 2023."
The 2023 Australia / Oceania LQS is expected to see over 60 of the region's best up-and-comers battle it out for qualification points, with 1,000 points on offer for the winners of each event. After the two LQS events, the top male and top female on the rankings will be awarded a spot on the 2023 WSL Longboard Tour, which will see one of four events hosted at the Bells Beach Longboard Classic. The 2023 Longboard Tour will conclude at the Malibu Longboard Championships, where the World Champions will be crowned.
The perfect peelers of First Point Noosa will play as the first of two events on the 2023 Australia / Ocenaia regional LQS. - WSL / Thomas Bennett
As a part of the annual Noosa Festival of Surfing, the Noosa Longboard Pro will run from March 8 - 12 and see the return of professional competition to one of the most perfect logging waves on the planet. Home to some of the country's best longboarders, including current WSL Longboard Champion Harrison Roach, Noosa is a town synonymous with the sport, and it's only fitting that the season is launched in the perfect peelers of First Point.
Manly Beach will host the Manly Classic in May of 2023. - WSL / Ryder
From Noosa, the regional series will head to the world-famous Manly Beach for the Manly Classic, which is set to run from May 3 - 4. Manly Beach is rich in competitive surfing history. It's home to the 1964 World Championships, where Phyllis O'Donell and Midget Farrelly claimed the first World Titles. The Manly Classic will deepen the already strong connection Manly has to surfing, in particular, Longboarding.