At this moment, we are officially less than two years until surfing debuts as an Olympic sport and the International Surfing Association’s upcoming Urban Research World Surfing Games might be the best preview of what’s to come.
Back in March, the International Olympic Committee, together with the ISA, hammered out the details of the qualification process for surfing. Among the myriad ways surfers from different countries could qualify, a single stipulation stands out: “All surfers selected by their respective National Federations for their national teams must participate in 2019 and 2020 ISA World Surfing Games in order to be eligible for Olympic qualification,” explained the ISA in a press release.
In other words, we can expect the 2019 and 2020 World Surfing Games to closely mirror the competitive field in Tokyo in 2020 and that those years will likely see even more current WSL Championship Tour competitors than years past.
This year, though, could be the earliest indication of surfers to watch as we approach 2020 specifically because Olympic hopefuls competing on the CT are not obligated to compete yet. Let me explain.
As it stands, the Olympic qualification process creates 18 slots for CT competitors (10 for men, 8 for women). Surfers fill those slots based on their ranking and their country. Once two men and two women from a country qualify, then it’s on to another country until those 18 slots are filled. The remaining 22 slots, though, will be given to surfers that rank highly at the 2019 and 2020 ISA World Surfing Games, and the 2019 Pan-American Games. Plus Japan automatically gets slots for one man and one woman.
So, this year’s ISA World Surfing Games serves as a preview of many of the surfers we’re likely to see in the Olympics that don’t compete on the CT – like Jhony Corzo from Mexico who won the contest last year, or Jonathan González from Spain who took fourth.
On top of previewing the talent, it’s also a preview of the venue. Sort of.
The 2018 UR ISA World Surfing Games may be the best preview to date of what surfing in the Olympics might look like in 2020. Photo: Tahara LOC
Even though we were able to confirm the World Surf League and Kelly Slater Wave Company’s continued efforts to open Surf Ranch Tokyo in time for the Olympics, the official word is still that surfing’s Olympic debut will happen in the ocean. If that happens, the ISA World Games’ 2018 venue of Tahara, Japan is just 200 miles as the crow flies from Tsurigasaki Beach, the official Olympic venue. As such, it could give us a decent sense of what to expect surf-wise, although the Olympics will happen mid-summer and the World Games are taking place early fall. All of that goes out the window, though, if there’s a last minute audible to a man-made wave.
The 2018 UR ISA World Games will take place September 15-22 and no doubt much of the surf world will be watching.
