By December 2019, Japan will have one of these. Image: KSWC
Early last month, we reported on Kelly Slater Wave Company’s continued efforts to create a wave pool facility in Japan in time for the 2020 Olympics. We were able to confirm, for instance, that KSWC and the WSL had secured a parcel of land in the prefecture of Chiba – the exact location, however, remained elusive.
A recent report by Mainichi Newspaper in Japan, though, reveals that efforts to build the pool are moving ahead in Kisarazu City, just across the Tokyo Bay from downtown Tokyo. Construction is set to begin in September with a target completion date of December 2019. A town hall meeting was held earlier this week with 50 residents, and not one opposed the development.
As we know, the current venue for surfing’s 2020 Olympic debut is Tsurigasaki Beach in Chiba Prefecture. But the motive behind the construction of both Surf Ranch Japan and a Wavegarden facility in Tokyo is clear.
Even if Kelly Slater Wave Co. and the WSL are able to build a pool by December 2019, what’s unclear is whether that leaves enough time for them to strongarm Tokyo 2020 and the IOC into a last-minute venue change, and to hold a necessary test event as stipulated by the host city contract.
The WSL and ISA have for their parts been notoriously opaque about the possibility of a venue change, and in particular to a facility powered by Kelly Slater Wave Co. tech.
Months ago ISA President Fernando Aguerre held to the official line that the ISA was excited for surfing’s Olympic debut at Tsurigasaki Beach. His tune is unlikely to change until a venue shift gets ISA approval.
And when we spoke to the WSL about this issue back in June, they opted not to comment on the story directly but did say that Japan was one of the many markets they were interested in. As were France and Brazil. Paris, of course, will host the Olympics in 2024.
For now, the possibility of Olympic surfing debuting in a wave pool seems like a long shot, but the bottom line is that door remains open. Either way, Tokyo surfers may soon have a perfect artificial wave at their disposal.
