At the 139th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session today, held in Beijing, China, Surfing was approved to be included on the Initial Sports Program for LA28.
Following a vote of the IOC Membership, Surfing is now integrated into the group of 28 Olympic sports.
Today’s announcement solidifies Surfing as a long-term fixture in the Olympic Programme. The ISA President confirmed his and the ISA’s excitement to potentially showcase the sport’s great value in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, where Surfing is an essential part of the culture of Australia’s Gold Coast.
ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, said:
“From the beginning of my Presidency, 27 years ago, it was my dream and hope to show that Surfing was worthy of long-term inclusion in the Olympic Games. Today is a truly wonderful day when that dream becomes a permanent reality. My heart is full of gratitude at this time of celebration for all surfers and fans of wave-riding.
“This is a humbling moment for the ISA and for me personally. I would like to offer my deepest thanks to the IOC President and the IOC Members for their belief in Surfing and the value we continue to bring to the Games, as we showed in Tokyo. I would also like to express my gratitude to our friends and leaders at LA28 for believing in and supporting our inclusion.
“We have always known that Surfing was a natural fit for LA28. As the official sport of California, surfing is action, youth and energy combined. And we have a powerful connection to the natural environment and sustainable living. A perfect recipe for the future of the Games Programme.
“We are excited to be part of a new future for the Olympic Games. Together, we are stronger. Together, we are bringing a new age of Olympism. Together, we are making a better world through Surfing and sports.”
LA28 Chairperson, Casey Wasserman, said:
“The LA28 Games have always been about bringing more freshness, youthful energy and creativity into the Olympic and Paralympic movement. Los Angeles is a place unlike any other and it will be incredible to host surfing, skateboarding and climbing as iconic West Coast sports alongside Olympic fan favorites.”
Carissa Moore, Olympic Gold Medallist at Tokyo 2020, said:
“One of the reasons why I love surfing so much is that the world we live in today is so fast paced and, in the ocean, you have to be present. My goal is to inspire just one person, to spark their passion and try getting on a surfboard for the first time.”
About the International Surfing Association:
The International Surfing Association (ISA), founded in 1964, is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. The ISA governs and defines Surfing as Shortboard, Longboard & Bodyboarding, StandUp Paddle (SUP) Racing and Surfing, Para Surfing, Bodysurfing, Wakesurfing, and all other wave riding activities on any type of waves, and on flat water using wave riding equipment. The ISA crowned its first Men’s and Women’s World Champions in 1964. It crowned the first Big Wave World Champion in 1965; World Junior Champion in 1980; World Kneeboard Champions in 1982; World Longboard Surfing and World Bodyboard Champions in 1988; World Tandem Surfing Champions in 2006; World Masters Champions in 2007; World StandUp Paddle (SUP, both surfing and racing) and Paddleboard Champions in 2012, and World Para Surfing Champions in 2015.
ISA membership includes the surfing National Federations of 109 countries on five continents. The ISA is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (ARG). The Executive Committee includes four Vice-Presidents Karín Sierralta (PER), Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), Casper Steinfath (DEN) and Barbara Kendall (NZL), Athletes’ Commission Chair Justine Dupont (FRA), Regular Members Atsushi Sakai (JPN) and Jean Luc Arassus (FRA) and ISA Executive Director Robert Fasulo as Ex-officio Member.
Its headquarters are located in La Jolla, California (USA).
For more information, please visit www.isasurf.org.
