Santiago De Compostela, Galicia - Spain (Tuesday, May 21, 2019) - The Club Praia de Pantin officially launched one of the biggest Qualifying Series stages of the year, the Pantin Classic ABANCA GALICIA CLASSIC SURF PRO with a press event today in Santiago De Compostela.
This event is one of the oldest on tour and in its 30+ years history has seen the world's best surfers battle it out in Galician waters. Many past winners here have gone on to qualify for the elite Championship Tour and Galicia will continue to carry such importance in future years.
In 2019, the Galicia Surf Pro will host some of the most talented athletes on the planet in men and women QS10,000 events as well as the world's best longboarders for a WSL Longboard Tour event carrying 6,000 points for the winners.
"The Galicia Surf Pro is clearly becoming the biggest event in Europe with those two QS10,000 and equal prizemoney," Francisco Spinola, WSL Europe, Middle-East, Africa General Manager, stated. "Xunta De Galicia has been instrumental with their support of this event and we're proud to showcase the region to the world. It's great for our surfers too because they can now compete on major events without having to travel as much as in the past."
The World Surf League and Club Praia de Pantin have signed a historic 3-year agreement to continue to expand professional surfing's presence in Galicia, and specifically the Ferrolterra area. The coastline which faces both West and North is an ideal location that receives swells from all directions and can offer shelter depending on wind conditions.
The event will offer two possible competition sites at Doniños and Pantin, maximizing chances of running in the best possible conditions. The Galicia Surf Pro joins Huntington Beach with the U.S Open of Surfing, as the only two events worldwide offering QS10,000 divisions for both men and women, with equal prize-money.
"I'm extremely happy to be able to participate in this year's Galicia Surf Pro," Gony Zubizarreta, pro surfer from Galicia said. "The option to go to Doniños is great, waves are usually super rippable there and I love that beach. I'm very thankful to Galicia for supporting surfing this much and for continuing to do it every year."
"Women only have two QS10,000 in the world so we're super happy to have such a huge event here in Galicia," Leticia Canales Bilbao, Basque pro surfer added. "Equality is important and it's great to see Galicia stepping up with this event to offer equal opportunities for us to compete."
Like at the U.S Open each summer, this event will put extra efforts in offering visitors a unique experience on-site, promoting the active and healthy lifestyle of Galicia. Competition will also be webcast LIVE across the world to share the beautiful sights of Galicia and attract tourists who haven't visited this part of the old continent yet.
It also joins Noosa (Australia), New York City and Taiwan with its Longboard Tour 6,000 event, playing an important role in crowning the 2019 WSL Longboard Champions.
The Galicia Surf Pro is scheduled from August 28 - September 7, 2019 at Doniños and playa de Pantin, Galicia / Spain. For all results, photos, video highlights and press releases, log on to worldsurfleague.com.