Photo: Kuwait Surf Committee
The International Surfing Association (ISA) announced it has added Kuwait, the British Virgin Islands, and Romania to its expanding list of member nations on Tuesday. The move gives the ISA a grand total of 116 nations.
“It is especially pleasing to announce three members from three different continents that are non-traditional surf nations. This shows the power of surfing to engage with people in every part of the world who share our love of the ocean and nature,” said ISA President, Fernando Aguerre
“We are equally excited to see the establishment and growth of national surfing events in these nations to drive forward competitive surfing and help create a new generation of talent that we hope will soon be able to compete on the international stage,” adding that the expansion opens the door for future athletes from these nations to one day aim for competing in the Olympics.
Kuwait, which has a slightly larger landmass than the state of Hawaii, has about 300 miles of coastline along the western side of the Persian Gulf. To develop and grow surfing throughout the country, the Kuwait Surf Committee’s short and long-term goals include improving access to the sport with better equipment and training. They also plan to establish a dedicated surf training center and host more regional surf contests and events throughout the country.
Romania, meanwhile, has about half as much coastline (approximately 152 miles) bordering the Black Sea to its southeast. It’s seen a bit of a boom in organized/competitive surfing recently though, with the Romanian Surfing Federation (FRS) holding an annual national surfing event since 2018 as well as hosting ISA surf coaching and instructing courses in 2018 and 2023. Aris Voicu became Romania’s first representative in an ISA event last year and the country’s first surfer to progress through a heat at the 2023 World Junior Surfing Championship in Brazil.
Finally, according to the ISA announcement, membership for the British Virgin Islands is still subject to a final approval of the ISA Annual General Meeting. It’s seeing a bit of a boom in competitive surfing similar to Romania, having a national surf competition and growing the surf community on a national level recently. The ISA says the BVI submitted a growth strategy for their membership that includes “enhancing youth engagement, promoting environmental best practices, improving surfing infrastructure and better talent identification.”
