ASP Admits Calculation Error And Revokes Kelly Slater's Title

Kelly Slater was awarded the 2011 ASP World Title, but before he could thoroughly enjoy his triumph, the ASP had to revoke the title due to an error in calculation.

The ASP has admitted that, due to a calculation error within its rankings’ system, the 2011 ASP World Title has yet to be officially decided and that Kelly Slater was prematurely awarded his 11th ASP World Title on Tuesday.

“Our rankings’ system is designed to split tie-breaks based off of seed points,” explained Renato Hickel, ASP World Tour Manager. “Kelly Slater and Owen Wright tied at best nine of 11 results, so we went to best eight of 11 results and the system gave it to Kelly based off his higher seed position. We were operating under that assumption and created the ASP World Title scenarios based off of that."

After explaining the reasons for this calculation error, the ASP was apologetic to all parties involved in the 2011 World Title mix-up.

"This was a mistake. In the end, we’re responsible for this and should be held accountable," said Hickel. "We apologize to our fans, the surfers and to Owen and Kelly.”

Moving forward, Kelly Slater must win one more heat, either at the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco or at the following event at Pipeline in Hawaii to confirm his 2011 ASP World Title. For Wright to remain in the hunt, he must win both the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco and the following event at Pipeline in Hawaii.