Surfing-Pipeline kicks off surfing's world tour as Olympics loom

Brazil's Filipe Toledo and American Caroline Marks will look to defend their crowns when surfing's world championship tour kicks off in Hawaii this week, with the 2024 Olympics in the pristine tubes of Tahiti also looming for top contenders.

The nine-stop tour starts with a bang at Pipeline, where the powerful waves and shallow reef have often intimidated and occasionally injured some of the world's top surfers over the years.

"That's like the arena of all arenas. If you can perform at Pipeline...the respect and admiration you get from your peers, that's what you want to achieve," Olympic gold medallist and five-time world champion Carissa Moore said.

But while this year's tour has much to look forward to, including a crop of talented newcomers and the return of Fiji to the list of venues, some absent stars, criticism over competition changes and the lack of a permanent leader for the governing World Surf League (WSL) has prompted questions about where the professional sport is heading.

Moore announced this month she was taking a break from competitive surfing after the Pipeline contest but would still surf in the Olympics. Days later, Australia's eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore said she was taking a year off the tour to refresh herself and surf some new places.

"I’m still passionate and dedicated to competing, and I have goals and dreams that I’m still chasing – I’m excited for something fresh this year and I look forward to returning to competition in 2025,” Gilmore said on Instagram.

Surf historian Matt Warshaw said while the WSL had done some good things including introducing equal pay for women and improving the quality of its broadcasts, a number of missteps around formats, judging and venues had