ABA Tour: the Australian Bodyboarding circuit is debuting a new competitive format | Photo: ABA Tour

The Australian Bodyboarding Association (ABA) announced changes to its 2019 ABA Tour.

At the end of last year, Nick Chandler resigned as chairman from the ABA board, but he believes that the organization will continue with a great team and board of directors.

"It's time for it to continue without me. I started the ABA six years ago to try to build a better profile for bodyboarding in Australia," Chandler told SurferToday.

"Our key goal was to have five juniors progressing through to the World Tour by 2020. Last year, we had two, so we're on the way. I have another day job, plus a family, so it's time for me to do other things."

The upcoming season brings a new competitive format. ABA calls it the "Triple Format Series."

"With the Triple Format Series, riders must compete at all three events to be eligible to win the ABA Tour," the bodyboarding organization explains.

In 2019, there will only be three stages: Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales.

"Due to the recent increase in shark attacks in Western Australia, we were left in a bit of a pickle with insurances and public liability," ABA adds.

Nevertheless, ABA is currently in conversations to lock in an event in Victoria in 2020, and another one in Tasmania in 2021.

Also, the 2019 ABA Tour will debut waiting periods for each event, starting on the first Saturday of the scheduled month and running through to the third Sunday of the same month.

The goal is to increase chances of showcasing bodyboarding at its best and allow the selection of alternative venues in case the preferred location isn't working at its best.

The 2019 ABA Tour will feature three divisions - pro men, pro women, and drop-knee - at all event locations, even though there will be a minimum number of entries required for these divisions to run.

2019 ABA Tour | Schedule

Queensland Pro | April 6-21
South Australia Pro | May 4-19
New South Wales Pro | June 1-16

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