To make better calls on whether or not to re-run a heat, we’ve updated this section of the Rule Book. The goal is to keep things as fair as possible and make sure both the athletes and the fans stay in the loop.
RE-SURF SCENARIOS: “RERUNNING THE HEAT”
Technical glitches, human error, or stuff out of our control can happen at any time. Everything moves fast during a live event, and sometimes mistakes just happen.
A heat is considered “interrupted” if it’s messed up by things like:
- Tech issues: (Wrong horn blasts, computer crashes, power outages, etc.)
- Human error: (Wrong time announcements, bad flags/signals, etc.)
- Random “Acts of God”: Factors totally out of anyone’s control.
The Head Judge has to let the Technical Director know immediately roughly when the interruption happened. The Technical Director will then get the athletes together to talk it out. Just a heads up: most of the time, these situations don’t automatically mean a re-surf.
REQUESTING A RE-SURF
Since heat formats vary, the rules for requesting a rerun depend on the setup:
- Man-on-Man Heats: Both surfers have to agree to the re-surf.
- 3 or 4-Man Heats: Majority rules. For a 3-man heat, at least 2 surfers must want the rerun. For a 4-man heat, you need at least 3 to agree.
- The Clock is Ticking: Any protest has to be made within 30 minutes of the heat ending. We can’t take claims after that because it slows down the whole contest and isn’t fair to the other athletes.
- The Final Say: The Head Judge and/or the Technical Director make the final call on whether the heat gets rerun and when it’s going down.
MISSING SCORES: CRITERIA FOR RESTARTING A HEAT
If a wave didn’t get scored, the heat only gets restarted if ALL of the following are true:
- It wasn’t the buzzer-beater: If the missing wave was the last one of the heat, it’ll just be scored after the heat ends. No rerun.
- No footage exists: If the official camera crew missed it and there’s no way to verify what happened, we can’t restart the heat.
- It actually mattered: If there is footage, the Head Judge and tech panel will meet to see if that wave actually would have changed the final result or the flow of the heat.
HOW IT WORKS (THE BREAKDOWN)
We’ve tweaked these rules to make sure that if we do have to rerun a heat, we bother as few competitors as possible. Examples:
- 3rd place surfer missed a wave: If that wave could’ve bumped them to 1st or 2nd, the re-surf will only be between the 2nd and 3rd place guys. The 1st and 4th place surfers stay out of it.
- 4th place surfer missed a wave: If that wave could’ve changed the outcome, the re-surf will be between 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. The 1st place surfer is safe.
- 2nd place surfer missed a wave: If that wave could’ve bumped them to 1st, we’ll just score it via video (for seeding purposes). No re-surf.
PROTECTING THE HEAT WINNER (IMPORTANT CHANGE)
If there’s a technical or human error, the surfer who finished in 1st place does not have to go back in the water. Period. We don’t want to penalize a guy who already won because of a staff mistake.
- The One Exception: If there is clear video proof that the missing wave definitely beat the 1st place score, the tech team might decide to rerun the whole heat with everyone.
KEEPING THE FANS INFORMED (NEW GUIDELINE)
Communication is key. All Re-Surf decisions have to be explained clearly:
- On the Livestream: Commentators need to explain exactly what happened and why the decision was made.
- On the Beach: The beach announcer needs to keep the crowd and the athletes on the sand posted.
- On the Screen: We’ll have graphics ready to show on the big screen so everyone’s on the same page. Bad communication causes confusion and makes us look bad. The IBC is committed to being 100% transparent.
CRAZY WEATHER
If the weather goes south—zero visibility, crazy rain, hurricane-force winds, or just unsurfable junk—and nobody catches a wave in the first 10 minutes, the Head Judge can restart the heat. If it’s a safety issue, they can call the heat off and reschedule it for later.
For the full breakdown, check the Rule Book at www.ibcworldtour.com
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