No female invites again for the Heavy Water Event in San Francisco… Let’s all work on it and have equality, transparency and equal opportunity in our sport to set a path of success for the future of this beautiful sport and it’s great athletes and future athletes!! We already have races setting the way to go – M20, PPG, Carolina, SUP Siesta, just to name a few.. #ipaddleforequality #equalopportunity #equalityinsport #redbullheavywater

A post shared by Sonni Hönscheid (@sonnihoenscheid) on Oct 20, 2017 at 8:58am PDT

Through the hashtag #IPaddleForEquality, hundreds of women (and men) joined together to tackle the issue of gender participation in paddleboarding and the sexism found widely in action sports, led by one of the best paddle boarders in the game, Annabel Anderson.

What this raised was the wider issue that myself and other females have been challenging for many years,” wrote Anderson on her Facebook page. “To be treated with the equality of opportunities that are extended to our male contemporaries. It is not a question of skill or performance, I have personally proven every year that a female is capable of delivering a performance equal to those of the top men.”

“Shortly after this matter was brought to public attention via social media post by Annabel Anderson earlier this week, the APP Tour Director reached out to myself and Fiona Wylde to discuss the matter in a last-minute effort to get female competitors, three days before the event. This is extremely unprofessional,” wrote Appleby. “We deemed this unfair and very disrespectful.”

#ipaddleforequality || today a massive race was held with gnarly waves…..girls weren’t allowed to participate seeing as though they aren’t as “strong” as guys, which is just sad….. we want this sport to grow right?…..well why not let girls participate in the red bull race?….my dream is to become a professional stand up paddler but by not letting girls race is just unprofessional and unfair!…..yes, i wouldn’t have competed in this race but i would really want to when i’m older and a stronger paddler….. ????

A post shared by Abbie Walkerdene ❁ (@abbieewalkerdene) on Oct 20, 2017 at 8:28pm PDT

When I asked the question earlier this week if you were ok with the lack of female invitee’s at the 2nd edition of Red Bull Heavy Water in San Francisco (until the 11th hour on Tuesday when 1x token invitation was extended) the answer was a resounding NO. What it raised was the wider issue that myself and other females have been challenging for many years – to be treated with the equality of opportunities that are extended to our male contemporaries both inside of competition and out. It is not a question of skill or performance, I have personally proven every year that a female is capable of delivering a performance equal to those of the top men and I commend the events and communities that have honoured equality and equality opportunity. My goal is clear: to support equality, transparency and equal opportunity to set a path of success for the future of our sport and its athletes. The question is simple “What do we want for our sisters and daughters?” #ipaddleforequality #equalopportunity #equalityinsport #redbullheavywater

A post shared by Sunova Surfboards (@sunova_surfboards) on Oct 24, 2017 at 2:27am PDT

#ipaddleforequality // We join the women of the SUP world in supporting gender equality in our sport. Gender equality should be a basic right, and women shouldn’t have to start a movement just to be treated equally. But it’s not, and they do. So well done to all the female paddlers, whether they be the stars of the sport or weekend warriors, that came together and broke down the floodgates today. Hopefully/surely this will lead to a more positive balance in the world of stand up paddling. This goes beyond any one event (the symbolic, men’s-only #redbullheavywater) and touches on a much larger issue that’s been bubbling away in the wider sport for far too long. It’s time to make things right. #Repost @supracer with @insta.save.repost • • •

A post shared by Stéphane Koch (@stephanekoch) on Oct 22, 2017 at 5:36am PDT