The Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA) announced a change in the PWA Freestyle World Tour format.
The 2019 PWA Men's Freestyle World Tour fleet will be reduced from 48 to 32 sailors.
The decision will allow the professional freestyle windsurfing circuit to run two-man heats earlier at each venue.
Also, and whenever the wind forecast permits, the whole competition may adopt the man-on-man format.
The PWA wants to deliver "a much more immersive viewing experience, particularly when paired with the live scoring."
As a result, the 2019 PWA Men's Freestyle World Tour will feature the top 20 riders from the 2018 season, the top 6 windsurfers from the 2018 European Freestyle Pro Tour (EFPT), plus six wildcards awarded by the PWA and the local organizer.
The top 6 sailors from the EFPT/Freestyle Qualifying Series (FQS) are Loick Spicher, Julian Wiemar, Adam Sims, Julien Mas, Eliran Levi, and Dudu Levi.
The 2019 PWA Freestyle World Tour kicks off on April 9 and will visit Bonaire, Fuerteventura, and Sylt.