World Surf League surfers will honor their favorite women athletes on their jerseys

Athletes of the World Surf League will be honoring their favorite female athletes for International Women’s Day by wearing their names on the backs of their jerseys.

The 2023 season of The World Surf League Championship Tour is in full swing. Winter is the best time to catch the biggest and best waves all over the world. The men and women of the WSL will be heading to Peniche, Portugal for the third stop on the world tour. The event is called MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona and it is a fan and athlete favorite for many reasons. For the second year in a row, the competition window for this event will land on International Women’s Day and the surf athletes have a special tribute planned.

All men and women competitors will be honoring some of their favorite women in sports by wearing their names on the back of their jerseys. March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is International Women’s Day. The WSL has been a pioneer for equality in sports for many years. Both men and women surfers on tour receive equal prize money and get equal surfing opportunities in the water. Now they are spotlighting some of the best female athletes from all different sports.

Some of the names included this year are UFC featherweight champion Amanda Nunes, Serena Williams,  Naomi Osaka, Katie Ledecky, Sam Kerr, and more.

“We are deeply committed to equality and the progression of women’s surfing,” Jessi Miley-Dyer, WSL Chief of Sport said via a press release. “Our athletes and the WSL recognize the importance of using our platform to celebrate the values that make us unique in the sporting world. It is with great pleasure that we celebrate International Women’s Day and honor the trailblazers who have paved the way for women. I am thrilled that our athletes have embraced this opportunity to use their voices to champion women’s sports.”

The MEO Pro Portugal event kicks off with opening rounds for both men and women on March 7. Included in the competition is current world number 1 ranked Carrissa Moore and last year’s champion Stephanie Gilmore. For the men, Jack Robinson hopes to carry on his momentum from winning the Billabong Pro Pipeline.

The full list of World Surf League athletes and names are as follows:

Kolohe Andino (USA): Sydney McLaughlin
Jadson Andre (BRA): Victoria Barros
Jackson Baker (AUS): Carissa Moore
Teresa Bonvalot (POR): Patrícia Mamona
Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR): Nawal El Moutawakel
Gabriela Bryan (HAW): Haven Shepherd
Macy Callaghan (AUS): Emma McKeon
Ryan Callinan (AUS): Poppy Starr Olsen
Joao Chianca (BRA): Tatiana Weston-Webb
Griffin Colapinto (USA): Janice Aragon
Courtney Conlogue (USA): Lisa Andersen
Johanne Defay (FRA): Laure Manaudou
Yago Dora (BRA): Hortência Marcari
Ethan Ewing (AUS): Helen Ewing
Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA): Teresa Bonvalot
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS): Layne Beachley
John John Florence (HAW): Alex Florence
Ian Gentil (HAW): Amanda Nunes
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS): Susie O’Neill
Brisa Hennessy (CRC): Jimena Ruiz
Maxime Huscenot (FRA): Serena Williams
Caio Ibelli (BRA): Taliê Hanada
Kanoa Igarashi (JPN): Naomi Osaka
Ezekiel Lau (HAW): Melanie Bartels
Barron Mamiya (HAW): Moana Jones Wong
Caroline Marks (USA): Katie Ledecky
Matthew McGillivray (RSA): Bianca Buitendag
Sophie McCulloch (AUS): Jessica Watson
Jake Marshall (USA): Alyssa Spencer
Gabriel Medina (BRA): Marta
Seth Moniz (HAW): Kelia Moniz
Carissa Moore (HAW): Megan Abubo
Carlos Munoz (CRC): Frieda Zamba
Isabella Nichols (AUS): Rhiannan Iffland
Liam O’Brien (AUS): Pauline Menczer
Connor O’Leary (AUS): Akemi Karasawa
Lakey Peterson (USA): Venus Williams
Molly Picklum (AUS): Ash Barty
Miguel Pupo (BRA): Luisa Stefani
Samuel Pupo (BRA): Rayssa Leal
Jack Robinson (AUS): Amanda Nunes
Callum Robson (AUS): Cathy Freeman
Michael Rodrigues (BRA): Tita Tavares
Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW): Rell Sunn
Caitlin Simmers (USA): Nora Vasconcellos
Kelly Slater (USA): Margo Oberg
Jordy Smith (RSA): Natalie Du Toit
Filipe Toledo (BRA): Stephanie Gilmore
Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA): Beatriz Haddad Maia
Rio Waida (INA): Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu
Tyler Wright (AUS): Sam Kerr
Nat Young (USA): Kerri Walsh Jennings

You can catch all the action live on the WSL Youtube channel and at WorldSurfLeague.com