It’s official: the LA 2028 Olympics will not look like this. Photo: Pablo Jimenez//ISA
We are just six months removed from the 2024 Olympics, but some big milestones are approaching for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The International Surfing Association (ISA) held its annual general meeting on December 12 with its member nations and, according to those privy to the proceedings, several important updates were made regarding surfing’s third Olympic appearance. Namely, the ISA requested 24 more slots for shortboarders, the existing application for longboard’s inclusion includes 32 athletes, and the venues have officially been whittled down to Huntington Beach and Lower Trestles.
It’s a lot to digest. Here’s a breakdown of what it all means:
More Shortboard Slots
After a successful showing at Paris 2024 that saw impressive viewership and produced perhaps the most-seen surf photo ever, the ISA is striking the iron while it’s hot. At the members meeting, International Surfing Association president Fernando Aguerre divulged that the ISA has officially requested an increase in the number of shortboard slots for LA 2028, proposing 12 more for men and 12 more for women, bringing the total to 36 surfers of each gender
Paris 2024 had 48 surfers in total, an increase from 40 at Tokyo 2020.
When the IOC announced that five new sports would be added to LA 2028 (cricket, baseball and softball, flag football, lacrosse, and squash), it acknowledged that the athlete quota would exceed its previously strict limit of 10,500. Additional athlete quotas are greatly coveted and competed for among the Olympic sport federations. Asking for a 50 percent increase in the quota for shortboard surfers is a big ask, so the IOC’s response will be very telling as far as how much they value surfing’s Olympic performance in Tahiti.
Aguerre said that the ISA will likely know the final quota allotted in March 2025.
Olympic Longboarding
Even before Paris 2024, it was already known that the ISA had formally applied for longboarding to be added to the LA 2028 Olympics. After the meeting updates, we now know the requested quota is for 32 athletes, 16 for each gender.
Again, as the 35 summer sports compete for the unknown number of added athlete quotas, it would be impressive if the IOC gave the ISA everything on its wishlist. But if there were ever a time to add longboarding, a Southern California Olympics would be the opportune moment to do so.
The IOC has made it clear that the sports and disciplines to be included in LA are already set. But there is a backdoor process that longboarding could take given that it’s being classified as a separate “medal event” – not a different discipline – that could leave the door open for its inclusion.
If the IOC accepted the 32 longboarders on top of the additional 24 shortboarders, the total surfing quota would reach 104 athletes.
Longboarding might be included. Wave pools will not. Photo: WSL
Contest Venues
Some of surfing’s top pros have lobbied to put the Olympics in a wave pool. But the ISA meeting revealed that pools are completely off the table, at least for 2028.
While it’s long been speculated that Lower Trestles and Huntington Beach were the most viable options, the ISA now confirmed that the venue selection process has been narrowed down to just these two locations. That also removes any chance of repeating the Paris 2024 strategy and holding the event at an overseas location, such as Hawaii.
Aguerre said that they are currently receiving reports from both locations and a final decision will be taken soon in the first trimester of 2025.
There are a lot of moving Olympic pieces that will fall into place in the coming months. Once the athlete quota is confirmed, the release of the qualification pathway will follow.
