Governing body ISA | Events 2 (men: 1; women: 1) | |
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Surfing at the Summer Olympics will make its debut in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. After several attempts for inclusion at the Olympics, the International Surfing Association has become successful in getting surfing included in the 2020 Games.
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Potential settings
With the 2016 debut of a new, advanced wave pool from the Kelly Slater Wave Company, there has been speculation that KSWC pool will be built in Tokyo for the 2020 Games. Although Japan does sometimes have surfing conditions adequate for Olympic competition, the International Olympic Committee is likely to go with a more reliable venue to avoid days of no or poor competition.
Bid for inclusion
On September 28, 2015, surfing was featured on a shortlist along with baseball, softball, skateboarding, karate, and sport climbing to be considered for inclusion in the 2020 Summer Olympics. On June 1, 2016, the International Olympic Committee's executive board announced they were supporting the inclusion of all five sports (counting baseball and softball as only one sport) for inclusion in the 2020 Games. There is still one final vote to be held in August 2016 concerning the inclusion of these five pending sports, but it has been made clear by the Committee that surfing's outlook is very optimistic.
Potential participation
Professional surfer Kelly Slater, widely considered to be the greatest surfer of all time, has stated that "it'd be a huge honor" for him to participate in the Olympics, even at the age of 48, which he will have reached in 2020. Additionally, it is likely that the dominant surfers of the World Surf League, such as Gabriel Medina and John John Florence, will be selected by their respected countries to participate in the Games.
Number of participants
As of September 2015, there are to be two surfing events in the Games, one each for men and women, each containing twenty participants.