Photo: International Surfing Association
The International Surfing Association (ISA) held its annual general meeting this week and unanimously re-elected Fernando Aguerre to his 10th term as President. The Argentinian has held the office since 1994, most notably leading the charge to bring surfing to the Olympics. When the new four-year term concludes, Aguerre’s legacy will have overseen the Tokyo (2021), Paris (2024), and Los Angeles (2028) Summer Games.
“I feel a huge sense of gratitude and appreciation to the surfing family for giving me the honor of serving for another four years. Thank you for your trust, your friendship, and for allowing me to continue working for the sport that I have loved all my life,” Aguerre said of his re-election.
The ISA has had a busy year preparing to qualify a field of surfers for the 2028 Olympic Games. In February, it confirmed significant changes to the qualification process. That triggered an immediate wave of criticism from Championship Tour athletes and even WSL CEO Ryan Crosby. Criticism leaned heavily on the reduction of Olympic spots earned directly through CT results, as well as throwing out qualification through the cumulative, final rankings of the 2027 season.
“They think the Olympic world is simply the best in the world, period — with no limits. But there are limits. It’s like thinking that in the 100 meters you would have 15 Jamaicans; you won’t have 15. There is always a limit,” Aguerre told The Inertia just one week later, defending the changes. “These changes have a dual and very concrete objective: to improve access for professionals and, at the same time, improve universality — those are the two key goals. We presented all of this to the IOC, they accepted it, and now they have confirmed it.”
In June, following continued criticism and tension, the ISA amended its qualification guidelines once again. Among the changes was a new cutoff date for qualification through CT rankings, from August 15, 2027 to June 15, 2028. The ISA cited “a wide consultation throughout the surfing community and a deliberate balance between recognizing the world’s top-performing surfers and maintaining the Olympic principle of universality” for the changes, and an ISA spokesperson told The Inertia that the process was a review “between the ISA and IOC listening to the CT athletes.”
“It’s not a win for all CT surfers. Some will have their Olympic chances significantly reduced under the new rules — a case of ‘be careful what you wish for,'” wrote The Inertia’s Evan Quarnstrom. “At the same time, others who had a long shot could now be a shoo-in for the 2028 Games.”
Quarnstrom suggested that the tensions between the ISA and WSL could jeopardize the sport’s future as an Olympic event. Within a month of the ISA’s reversal, the league had introduced a new CT event at Cloud 9 to its 2026 calendar, saying it was insurance “should the Surf Abu Dhabi Pro be unable to run as scheduled.” But the new CT event would likely conflict with the ISA’s first independent Olympic qualifying event in Peru, the World Surfing Games, either taking CT athletes out of the event altogether or making it difficult to bounce from one to the other in a short window.
Although the ISA has two more years before it stewards surfing to the Olympic stage for a third time, it’s certainly been a busy and tumultuous 2026. Not only is Aguerre tasked with navigating tensions between the sport’s international governing body and its highest competitive league, he’s also leading the sport through 2028 and into a bid for continued Olympic inclusion in 2032.
“Olympic surfing was once an impossible dream, but together, we made that dream real. We have seen surfing shine on the Olympic stage in Tokyo and in the iconic waves of Teahupo’o, and in 2028, it will be California’s turn. We have the responsibility to be ambassadors of the oceans, that are under horrendous attacks from many quarters,” Aguerre says. “We truly believe in the path of a better world through surfing. We will continue to showcase the very valuable contribution surfing makes to the Olympic movement. We’re excited by the opportunity to be a thrilling sport at Brisbane 2032.”
