Johanne Defay in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Thiago Diz//World Surf League
The World Surf League announced Sunday that it will establish a maternity wildcard for female athletes taking a break from Championship Tour competition due to pregnancy. France’s Johanne Defay will be the first recipient of the new wildcard when it takes effect starting in the 2027 season.
Defay announced in February of 2025 she was expecting her first child and would step away from the CT. She noted in her announcement the benefit male athletes have in pursuing their careers while also becoming dads without the same obvious interruption(s) women navigate. “I’d like to pursue mine while being a mom,” she pointed out at the time.
“I’m super happy to get the first-ever Maternity Wildcard,” Defay said following the WSL’s announcement. “It’s such an honor. I really wanted to keep my spot on tour because I love my lifestyle being a professional athlete and surfer. This is a new challenge for me that I really want to try. I’ve been competing for 20 years, and it’s part of who I am. To be able to share that with my daughter is such an amazing gift. I’m so excited to come back in 2027, and I’m excited to watch 2026 unfold.”
Tatiana Weston-Webb also stepped away from the CT in 2025 to have a baby. The WSL’s new maternity wildcard is only made available to one athlete per season, and so the league says Weston-Webb will be given the 2027 season wildcard. Per the WSL rule book, when there is more than one surfer eligible for the maternity wildcard, priority will be given to former world champions. If neither applicant is a past world champion, then the wildcard will be given to the “highest ranking of each applicant on the prior CT season that the applicant competed on.” In this case, Defay technically finished the 2025 season with more points than Weston-Webb before both athletes announced their respective breaks from the tour. The league decided that Weston-Webb will be awarded the season wildcard instead when the 2027 CT season kicks off.
“I’m incredibly grateful to have had this time off to pursue one of my lifetime dreams of creating a family, and now with this announcement, I feel so privileged to be able to say that another dream of mine is coming true; being a mother whilst being able to compete at the highest level,” said Weston-Webb. “It’s beautiful to be a part of the evolution and encouragement of motherhood in sport, especially surfing! I can’t thank the WSL enough for this opportunity.”
