(ATR) - Unexpected guests spoiled the latest wave party in Australia.
The World Surfing League (WSL) was forced on Tuesday to cancel its third stop at the Australian west coast after white sharks attacked two people in different incidents in less than 24 hours.
Both victims were non-competitive amateur surfers who suffered various injuries and had to be hospitalized.
The attacks took place on Monday in Gracetown, a city near the Margaret River beach where the competition was taking place. The event was the third and last leg of the Australian circuit tour after stops at Gold Coast and Bells Beach.
The first attack occurred near the area where the women's surf tournament was being held. The victim was taken to a hospital in Perth, where she is in stable condition. The competition stopped for an hour but later in the afternoon the second shark attack took place. The victim suffered minor injuries.
Soon after both incidents, the organizers of the World Surf League delayed the competition while advising the surfers to vacate the area. Later the cancellation of the competition was determined through a statement from the WSL (World Surfing League).
"I thank WSL that in first place took care of our safety and canceled the event, due to the recent events. Thank you and see you in the next event," Gabriel Medina, one of the eight Brazilian competitors qualified to this phase, wrote on her social media account.
Experts in marine biology believe that the presence of stranded whales combined with salmon in the midst of spawning season may have attracted the sharks to the site of the attacks.
"Surfing is a sport that involves various forms of risk, and is unique because wild animals inhabit our performance environment. Sharks are an occasional reality of WSL competitions and surfing in general. Everyone associated with our sport knows it. There have been incidents in the past, and there may be incidents in the future, which did not (and will not) result in the cancellation of an event. However, current circumstances are very unusual and troubling, and we have decided that the high risk during the Margaret River Pro season has crossed the threshold of what is acceptable," said WSL CEO Sophie Goldschmidt.
"If we decided to continue the event in the current circumstances and something terrible happened, we would never forgive ourselves," the official said in her statement.
Throughout its history, the World Surfing Championship has already been canceled once due to an incident with sharks.
In 2015, Australia’s Mick Fanning was attacked by a white shark during the South African stop of the World League at Jeffreys Bay. The incident was broadcast live on television and gained millions of views later on YouTube. Fanning did not suffer any injury, but the competition was suspended.
The next stage of the current world circuit will be in Saquarema, Brazil, from May 11 to 20.
Numerous professional surfers who are currently participating in this competition also plan to go to the Olympic surfing tournament in Tokyo where the sport will make its debut as one of the five additions to the Olympic program included in the Japanese Olympic event .
Surfing is also included in the Pan American Games 2019 in Lima thanks to the great popularity of the sport.
Written by Miguel Hernandez
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