The world surf league has announced it will award equal prize money for both men and women competitions across events within 2019 and beyond.
This move has been met with positivity as Australian Surfing champion has said the change is a move in the right direction, saying that whilst the prize money is great, the message means even more and hopes that this change serves as a model for other global sports organisations.
Eleven time men's champion Kelly slater has said that this move, for surfing to become the first global sport to award equal prizes to each gender, would set a powerful precedent and challenge the norms within the sporting industry.