The ASP has recently announced a new junior world tour for the best young surfers in the world to battle it out for rating's points and the opportunity to be crowned a world junior champion. Officially known as the World Junior Tour (WJT) the circuit is building on a preexisting but loosely defined platform.

"The WJT is a natural development for the ASP and serves as recognition for Billabong's [Billabong currently sponsors the World Junior Championships] vision and long-standing support for world junior surfing and for the sheer and immense surfing talent we now have coming through the ranks," Brodie Carr, ASP International CEO, said. "The WJT provides additional opportunity for junior surfers to establish a career as a professional surfer and to really make a name for themselves as ASP World Junior Champion."

According to a release sent out by the ASP, the new junior tour will be comprised of a 48-man field with six surfers coming from Australasia, South America, North America, and Europe as well as five surfers from Africa, Hawaii, and Japan.

The tour is scheduled to begin with the Oakley World Junior event at Keramas in early October. There are currently two scheduled stops on the tour with plans for making an additional third stop reportedly in the works.

According to the ASP, surfers attempting to qualify for the Junior Tour will be "Similar to years past as athletes will compete on their respective regional ASP Pro Junior Series throughout the season to qualify for the ASP World Junior Tour. Qualification for the ASP WJT will be based off of regional results from January 1 through August 31, 2010."

ASP WORLD JUNIOR TOUR SCHEDULE
Oakley ASP World Junior Event, Bali/Indonesia - October 2 - 13, 2010*
Billabong ASP World Junior Championships, Australia - January 8 - 16, 2011

PAST ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONS:
2009: Maxime Huscenot (REU), Laura Enever (AUS)
2008: Kai Barger (HAW), Pauline Ado (FRA)
2007: Pablo Paulino (BRA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
2006: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Nicola Atherton (AUS)
2005: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)
2004: Pablo Paulino (BRA)
2003: Adriano de Souza (BRA)
2002: N/A
2001: Joel Parkinson (AUS)
2000: Pedro Henrique (BRA)
1999: Joel Parkinson (AUS)
1998: Andy Irons (HAW)

*There will be a third event that has yet to be announced.