The MEO Rip Curl Pro is a professional surfing competition held annually as part of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour. It takes place on the west coast of Portugal in Peniche, Portugal, renowned for its consistent and high-quality waves. Peniche is chosen as the spot for the event due to its ideal wave conditions, which provide challenging and exciting opportunities for the world’s top surfers to showcase their skills. The event attracts surfers and spectators from around the globe, contributing to the region’s reputation as a premier surfing destination.
The sponsors for the MEO Rip Curl Pro are typically chosen based on their alignment with the surfing community, their brand values, and their desire to reach the target audience of surfers and surfing enthusiasts. MEO is a leading Portuguese telecommunications company, and their sponsorship of the event helps promote their brand to a global audience while supporting a sport deeply rooted in Portuguese culture. Also Rip Curl is a well-known surfing apparel and equipment brand, and their sponsorship reinforces their commitment to the surfing community while giving them exposure to a wide audience of surfers and fans. Additional sponsors like may include brands related to outdoor activities, lifestyle, and sports, as they see value in associating their brand with the excitement and energy of professional surfing competitions. These sponsors aim to connect with the passionate and adventurous audience that follows the event. For this event it is presented by Corona to give advertising to the brand and sponsor the event.
The MEO Rip Curl Pro consists of several rounds, each featuring heats where surfers compete head-to-head. Here’s an overview of the typical format elimination rounds: In the early rounds, surfers compete in elimination heats. The winners advance directly to the next round, while the losers are eliminated from the competition. There are Man-on-Man Heats as the competition progresses, where two surfers compete against each other in each heat. The winner advances while the loser is eliminated.
The remaining surfers compete in quarterfinals, semifinals, and eventually the finals. These rounds follow a similar format to earlier rounds, with winners advancing until only two surfers remain for the final heat. Judges score each wave ridden by the competitors based on several criteria wave quality judges assess the quality of the waves the surfers ride, considering factors like size, power, and length of ride, and difficulty of maneuvers. surfers are evaluated based on the difficulty and execution of maneuvers performed during the ride, such as turns, airs, and barrel. Judges also look for variety and innovation in a surfer’s approach, rewarding creativity and versatility. Finally, surfers are evaluated on their ability to maintain speed, power, and flow throughout the ride, enhancing the overall performance. Combinations of major moves surfers who link together multiple major maneuvers seamlessly receive higher scores. Once all the waves in a heat are surfed, the judges assign each ride a score out of a possible 10 points. The highest and lowest scores are usually discarded, and the remaining scores are averaged to determine the surfer’s heat total.
This year in the MEO rip curl pro, surfer Griffin Colapinto a San Clemente native won the event this year. For the women’s heats, Johanne Defay from France took the first place spot.
