Visa Agrees To Sponsor World Surf League's Season-Opening Event

Visa signed on as a sponsor of the World Surf League’s '17 Pro Gold Coast. It will serve as the official payment services partner for the WSL’s '17 kickoff competition, which begins Tuesday and lasts through March 25 in Australia. As part of the partnership, which was announced in Austin at SXSW, Visa will pilot new payment-enabled sunglasses at the event, allowing for contactless payment capability so spectators do not have to carry cash or credit cards on the beach. Visa Chief Brand & Innovation Marketing Officer Chris Curtin said that recent developments around the WSL and the sport in recent months, such as the announcement of surfing’s inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo Games and WSL’s deal to stream on Facebook Live, helped to bring about the sponsorship. Curtin said that Visa would evaluate a longer-term deal following this "test-run," declining to comment on any financial terms.