Pro Surfer Suspended Amid Sexual Assault Probe

A sexual assault scandal has rocked the world of pro surfing. Authorities in Tahiti say they've opened an investigation into an alleged group assault of an underage female surfer from Australia after an August competition, reports USA Today. The World Surfing League has suspended an unnamed pro surfer, and both USA Today and Surfing World have identified him as 24-year-old Alan Cleland Jr. A Tahitian official tells USA Today that the investigation involves a Mexican national, and Cleland is the only Mexican surfer on the World Surf League roster this year. He represented his nation in the 2024 Olympics.

Cleland, who hasn't commented, competed in Tahiti and has not surfed a WSL event since the league announced a provisional suspension, and his sponsor profiles have at least temporarily vanished. USA Today describes him as one of the sport's "fastest-rising stars." The allegations center on conduct "in relation to a private gathering" that wasn't connected to the WSL, according to the organization. The sport's governing body, the International Surfing Association, also has suspended a surfer over "serious allegations of abuse." The Surfing World report says the alleged victim is a teenage girl.