The 2014 IBA World Tour will not be run. The International Bodyboarding Association has announced that the professional circuit will resume in 2015.
A punch in the throat. A couple of months ago, Mike Stewart confirmed "there will be an IBA World Tour in 2014". Apparently, that is not going to happen.
Despite all the buzz around the newly formed Association of Professional Bodyboarders (APB), riders, industry professionals, and event organizers were not able to build a new global competition from scratch.
New rules were set, new names were announced; prize money standards have been set but, in the end, it all comes down to nothing.
"To this end, the organization is engaging in a strategic review to best ascertain the most sustainable model for the sport moving forward - this is expected to be a six-month planning and rebuilding period in which the opinions of the riders, viewers, and industry players will be sought in an effort to develop a platform which is both robust and reliable, while also being less dependent on sponsorship support", says Richard Nimmo, general manager at IBA.
"Whist Pipeline this year will not be run as an official IBA sanctioned event, we are currently working closely with the members of the Association of Professional Bodyboarders to provide support to the riders and the 2014 event schedule, with a view of resuming a full IBA World Tour with high-quality digital content, industry support and closer viewer interaction for the year 2015".
The International Bodyboarding Association admits "there have been some failures along the way" but the truth is bodyboarding fans won't be able to follow their idols in competition.
What will be the impact of a no-go IBA World Tour 2014? How will the Association of Professional Bodyboarders absorb the shock of this absolute failure? How will the bodyboarding community react to all these consecutive missteps?
Meanwhile, the APB has announced an alternative World Bodyboarding Tour for 2014.