The wife and brother of two-time world surfing champion Tyler Wright have both slammed the sport’s governing body for selecting Abu Dhabi as a championship tour venue.
Australian pro surfer Wright, who won her world titles in 2016 and 2017 and competed at the Paris 2024 Olympics, would be put in “potentially life threatening circumstances” if she competed in the event in February 2025, wrote her wife Lilli in a post on Instagram.
The couple married in 2022, and in her post Lilli describes Tyler — who is bisexual — as the World Surf League’s “only openly queer athlete”.
Last week, the WSL confirmed that the second event on next year’s 11-stop tour schedule would be Surf Abu Dhabi, the world’s biggest artificial wave.
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Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, where same-sex sexual activity is criminalized for both men and women under civil and Sharia law, with those found guilty theoretically being subject to potential capital punishment.
A U.S. Department of State report in 2022 stated that there were “no known reports of arrests or prosecutions for consensual same-sex sexual conduct” in the U.A.E. but that a level of risk remains for LGBTQ people, including visitors from Western nations.
According to the Human Dignity Trust, “there is some evidence of the law being enforced in recent years, with LGBT people being occasionally subject to arrest” and “some reports of discrimination being committed against LGBT people”.
In her post about the Abu Dhabi announcement, Lilli Wright wrote: “My wife can legally be sentenced to death or imprisonment if she tries to attend.
“Tyler has competed on this tour for over 14 years and has had the pride flag on her jersey since 2020. Even after winning 2 world titles she is still not valued enough by the WSL to be considered when they sold this event.”
Speaking out as well was Tyler Wright’s younger brother Mikey, who is also a pro surfer. He commented on the WSL’s Instagram post announcing the 2025 schedule.
“You have no business putting on an event at a location where my sister can be sentenced by law with the death penalty,” wrote Mikey.
“So much for equality and equal rights, only when it’s convenient to WSL. You have supported the LGBTQ flag on her shoulder but now you want to strip it and be hush hush to get her to a location that she’s at risk of this punishment.
“You have the responsibility to protect your athletes, interested to see how you think you can protect her against the law.”
Another of the Wright siblings, Tyler and Mikey’s sister Kirby, also commented on the WSL post, asking: “Do you have a safety plan in place for my sister???”
At the time of writing, there has been no public comment on the matter from the WSL, who appointed Ryan Crosby as its new CEO in May.
Surf Abu Dhabi was developed in partnership with the Kelly Slater Wave Company, a venture named after and led by the record 11-time world champion who retired from pro surfing earlier this year and who is also now a WSL commentator.
The selection of the new tour stop was long mooted but criticism has stepped up following its confirmation.
In a feature on The Inertia, Ella Boyd wrote: “What about the WSL’s values? Supposedly, the WSL “prioritizes the protection of the ocean, equality, and the sport’s rich heritage”… it seems unsavory to support some of the views the United Arab Emirates enforces.”
Other major sports to have held events in Abu Dhabi in recent years include the NBA (preseason games in each of the last three years), Formula 1 (15 Grands Prix to date), UFC, and esports.
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