The Morocco Mall Junior Pro Casablanca, Stop No.1 on the World Surf League (WSL) European Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) returns from May 3-7, 2023 at Ain Diab beach, in Casablanca, Morocco.
Pictured: An exciting junior season will get underway in Casablanca. Credit: © WSL / Masurel
“MOROCCO MALL is proud to renew its partnership with WSL and to support a second edition of this international event that will undoubtedly be a highlight for the city of Casablanca. We are happy to be associated with the development of surfing in Morocco and to support the younger generation into sports. This event is also a great opportunity for us to promote our destination.” Junior athletes (under the age of 20) will take on the fun beachbreaks of Casablanca for the second time after a successful first edition last year that crowned an all-Basque lineup of Janire Gonzalez Etxabarri (ESP) and Bitor Garitaonandia (ESP). An early look at the forecast promises good conditions for the season opener with fun waves and beautiful weather on the Moroccan central coast.
Morocco to Launch 2023 European JQS Season
A 3-stop regional series will determine the European qualifiers for the World Junior Championship (WJC) to be held in early 2024. Surfers will once again start their qualifying campaign in Casablanca and for some of them, it will be the first time we see them compete since November of last year. The first stop is always a great indication of who’s put in the most work in the off season and an exciting teaser for the year to come.
Surfers will later compete in La Torche, Brittany / France and Razo, Galicia / Spain in September to wrap up the season. When the dust settles on the European JQS, only the Top 2 men and Top 2 women will clinch a spot into the WJC. “The junior division is the foundation of our WSL tour structure and we’re stoked to have a solid field competing throughout Europe at a young age,” Rob Gunning, WSL Europe Tour Manager said. “Events like the Morocco Mall Junior Pro Casablanca are extremely important in the development of young talents to expose them to the pressure of competition, different conditions and unfamiliar territories as they grow into adults and mature competitors.”
Locals and Wildcards to Play Spoilers in Casablanca
A total of 12 surfers from the host country have entered the event and represent a chance to showcase the bright future of Moroccan surfing. Among them, Lilias Tebbaï (MAR) and Neil Aboufiras (MAR) carry the most experience in the women’s and men’s fields respectively and will lead the charge on home turf.
Event wildcards Ranya Squalli (MAR), Ines Tebbaï (MAR), Ayman Gougali (MAR) and Mehdi Tsouli (MAR) will also try to make their mark against the best young surfers from the region.
Some of them already had an opportunity to compete on home soil earlier this year at the QS3,000 Rip Curl Pro Search Taghazout Bay in February. The WSL tours’ structure allows athletes to start young and develop their skills before graduating to the Qualifying Series (QS) in hopes of someday making it to the Championship Tour (CT) like Agadir’s Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR).The 2023 Morocco Mall Junior Pro Casablanca is scheduled from May 3-7, 2023, at Ain Diab beach, in Casablanca, Morocco. For all results, photos, video highlights and press releases, log on to worldsurfleague.com.
The Morocco Mall Junior Pro Casablanca is organized by the World Surf League with the support of Morocco Mall, CIH Bank, Maroc Telecom, Afriquia Gaz, Aïn Atlas, Marsa Maroc, Jeep, Rip Curl, City of Casablanca, 2M, U Radio, Radio Mars, Surf Report Maroc.