La Jolla, California – 21 February 2019
The International Surfing Association (ISA) has today expressed its excitement and gratitude to organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after Surfing was included on their list of proposed new sports for inclusion at the Games in five years’ time – ultimately taking the sport one step closer to long-term Olympic inclusion.
The list of proposed new sports, including Surfing, has now been officially submitted by Paris 2024 to the IOC and will be reviewed internally. New sports would then be granted provisional approval at the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne on June 24th before receiving formal confirmation by the IOC Executive Board in December 2020, following the Tokyo 2020 Games – where Surfing will make its historic Olympic debut.
ISA President Fernando Aguerre said today:
"Today is another amazing milestone in Surfing’s Olympic wave. We are excited and humbled that Paris 2024 has included Surfing on its list of proposed sports for the 2024 Olympic Games. This announcement takes us one step closer towards our goal of long-term Olympic inclusion.
"On behalf of the global surfing community, I would like to personally thank the leadership and sports team at Paris 2024 for giving us this opportunity and for embracing the value of Surfing in their 2024 Games concept.
"With Surfing’s unique lifestyle, youthful values and socially engaged athletes and fans, we have no doubt that our sport will make an exceptional contribution to the Paris 2024 vision of an Olympic Games, "Made for Sharing". Surfing is a sport for the new era of Olympism. Combining high-performance with a connection to the environment, sustainability and self-improvement, Surfing aligns perfectly with Paris 2024 and the Olympic values.
"France has a rich and deep tradition in our sport. Having hosted the most important events in the ISA calendar as well as a multitude of annual, top-level professional events, France is also the proud home to some of the world’s best surfers. Together with our friends and partners in the French Surfing Federation, we look forward to continuing to advocate and celebrate this incredible opportunity to showcase our sport to the world in 2024."
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
About the International Surfing Association
The International Surfing Association (ISA), founded in 1964, is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. The ISA governs and defines Surfing as Shortboard, Longboard & Bodyboarding, StandUp Paddle (SUP) Racing and Surfing, Bodysurfing, Wakesurfing, and all other wave riding activities on any type of waves, and on flat water using wave riding equipment. The ISA crowned its first Men's and Women's World Champions in 1964. It crowned the first Big Wave World Champion in 1965; World Junior Champion in 1980; World Kneeboard Champions in 1982; World Longboard Surfing and World Bodyboard Champions in 1988; World Tandem Surfing Champions in 2006; World Masters Champions in 2007; and World StandUp Paddle (SUP, both surfing and racing) and Paddleboard Champions in 2012.
ISA membership includes the surfing National Federations of 104 countries on five continents. The ISA is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (ARG). The Executive Committee includes four Vice-Presidents Karín Sierralta (PER), Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), Casper Steinfath (DEN) and Barbara Kendall (NZL), Athletes' Commission Chair Justine Dupont (FRA), Regular Members Atsushi Sakai (JPN) and Jean Luc Arassus (FRA) and ISA Executive Director Robert Fasulo as Ex-officio Member.
Its headquarters are located in La Jolla, California (USA).
For further information:
Sujit Jasani
VERO Communications
Email: sjasani@verocom.co.uk
Mobile: +44 [0]7940 375 282
25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only