ISA President Fernando Aguerre updated surf industry leaders last week about the latest developments in the quest to get surfing into the Olympics.
A few major hurdles have been overcome that have surfing nearly to the finish line.
First, the International Olympic Committee removed the limit on how many sports could participate in the Olympics. Previously, for new sports to get in, others had to get kicked out, which was a big hurdle.
The second big hurdle was making the list of the five new sports that Tokyo has proposed for inclusion in the 2020 games. That list includes surfing, skateboarding, baseball/softball, sport climbing and karate.
In June, the Executive Board of the IOC will vote on whether to recommend those five sports to the full IOC membership. Then in August, IOC members will make the final vote during a meeting in Rio.
Fernando said the developments are exciting for surfing, and the Olympics could help surfing grow in far reaches of the world and could lead to important social and cultural progress.
The Olympics can also lift the visibility of surfing, in addition to helping to generate funding to train athletes in many countries, said Fernando, who recently hosted some IOC officals at the WSL event at Snapper Rocks to give them a taste of the sport in action.
Surf industry executives, young surfers, and others who have supported the Olympic quest attended the meetings, held in Laguna Beach and La Jolla, including WSL CEO Paul Speaker.
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