Elite surfers welcome gender pay parity
Taranaki surfing superstar Paige Hareb says she is surprised but stoked that the sport’s best men and women will compete on equal terms when it comes to prizemoney.
The 28-year-old goofy footer was speaking after the World Surf League announced on Thursday that it will introduce prizemoney parity across elite tour events in
2019 and beyond as it unveiled the new season schedule.
Hareb, of O¯ akura, welcomed the move, which she said was a long time coming.
‘‘I know a lot of the girls before me in female surfing tried for years,’’ said Hareb, who is currently competing in the Surf Ranch Pro Women’s Championship Tour in California.
‘‘I never thought of it happening because we tried for so long.
‘‘For it to finally happen is amazing, but at the same time it’s
2018, so it sucks it took this long.’’
Hareb said female surfing was now moving to bigger and brighter things and she hoped other sports would allow the opportunity for male and female athletes to receive equal pay.
She was backed by fellow surfer, Australian great Steph Gilmore, who said the decision was a vote of confidence for the women’s format.
‘‘The prizemoney is fantastic, but the message means even more,’’ the six-time world champion and world No. 1 said.
‘‘I hope this serves as a model for other sports, global organisations and society as a whole.
‘‘My fellow women athletes and I are honoured by the confidence in us, and inspired to reward this decision with ever higher levels of surfing.’’
The WSL plans to extend equal prizemoney to other second-tier events as soon as possible.
‘‘We will be working with our partners at competitions where we don’t control prizemoney, such as certain Qualifying Series events, to achieve equality,’’ WSL commissioner Kieren Perrow said.