One of the many commercial opportunities afforded to U.S. Ski & Snowboard, as Goldschmidt referenced. This the latest collab with J.Crew for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Photo: Courtesy Image//J.Crew
Former WSL CEO Sophie Goldschmidt has big ambitions as the leader of U.S. Ski & Snowboard: She wants to build an action-sports superpower. After dropping a nine-month campaign to wrestle control of surfing in the U.S. from USA Surfing, a new report from Sportico reveals that Goldschmidt is now attempting a similar move with skateboarding.
As it did with surfing, U.S. Ski & Snowboard has applied with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to govern skateboarding. Both USA Surfing and USA Skateboarding lost their Olympic certification status after the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Goldschmidt initially touted her federation’s track record of developing action sports champions and the increased funding it could bring to surfing in comments to The Inertia. Now she’s expanded on that notion, speaking of “a more central action sports” governing body that could lead to more commercial opportunities, and therefore more opportunities for athletes.
“Having a more traditional truly summer sport like skateboarding would differentiate us from other properties,” she said. “Culturally, there is some synergy, too.”
Goldschmidt also said that despite dropping the application to govern surfing, she remains open to revisiting those plans in the future.
The skateboarding ambitions add another twist to a saga that began in April of last year, when The Inertia broke the story about a power struggle over surfing governance in the U.S., USA Surfing voluntarily relinquished its Olympic certification status in 2021 following an audit by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee that revealed financial and governance issues. Team USA governed surfing at the sport’s next Olympic appearance, Paris 2024.
When the certification process reopened in 2025, USA Surfing – under new leadership – reapplied for the status, only to find that Goldschmidt and the skiers were challenging them. A public battle ensued, with USA Surfing accusing the skiers of backdoor deals and violations of U.S. law that prohibit national governing bodies from representing multiple international federations. Surf legends including Ian Cairns, Shaun Tomson, and Peter Townend, along with industry heavyweights such as ISA President Fernando Aguerre and WSL CEO Ryan Crosby, also rallied in support of USA Surfing.
That battle ultimately ended in November, when U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced it was dropping the bid, citing concerns that the dispute had become a distraction ahead of the 2026 Winter Games in Italy.
In the Sportico article, Goldschmidt accused USA Surfing of inserting “inaccurate facts” into the application process.
“Going into a Winter Games, we just didn’t want to risk being distracted,” Goldschmidt said. “It’s tough to get everyone on board, and change is hard, but I think (the opposition’s) approach and tactics weren’t how we want to operate.”
USA Surfing remains the only candidate currently in the running for governance of surfing in the U.S. However, that does not guarantee it will be awarded the status. In theory, Team USA could again take direct control, as it did for Paris 2024, and govern surfing itself for LA 2028.
