Surfers sharpen Olympic focus
More Kiwis will have a chance to earn a spot at surfing’s Olympic debut, with the qualification guidelines announced for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The World Surf League (WSL) and International Surfing Association (ISA) announced on Thursday that the WSL Tour will be guaranteed fewer than half the Olympic spots: 10 of the 20 places in the men’s event and eight of 20 in the women’s.
The host nation is guaranteed a male and female competitor, while the rest of the field will be determined at the 2019 and 2020 ISA World Surfing Games and the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima.
Surfers will be required to make themselves available to represent their country, if selected, at these events.
New Zealand have one surfer on the Tour, with Taranaki’s Paige Hareb returning to the top level in 2018, and she is expected to compete for a spot in the Olympics line-up.
But the country has a growing list of strong surfers who could also be contenders to compete at Japan in 2020.
Kiwi surfer Ella Williams said the qualification process was a big announcement for Kiwis and others outside the Tour.
“We have so much potential and talent in New Zealand, but time will tell who puts in the work. It’s one of those sports where you have to keep on working at it,” the 22-yearold said.
“I like that idea. It mixes things up. It gives some of us surfers who are still trying to get on to the World Tour an opportunity to be part of it. I think that’s exciting.”
The former junior world champion has been a strong competitor on the ISA World Games stage, finishing in the semifinals the past two years.
And while Olympic qualification is among her goals, the proposed qualification process will not change her focus.
“It’s definitely a goal and a dream of mine to compete at the Olympics in surfing, but at the moment, I’m just taking things comp by comp, heat by heat, and trying to qualify for the World Tour.”
With fewer Olympic spots guaranteed to the WSL than many expected, Williams said more Tour surfers will contest the ISA World Games as a result.
This year, just three of the 18 fulltime competitors on the women’s Tour took part in the World Games, and only two of the 35 men.
It’s definitely a goal and a dream of mine to compete at the Olympics in surfing, but at the moment, I’m just trying to qualify for the World Tour. Ella Williams
“You’ll see it, for sure. There’ll be more of those World Tour surfers at the World Games now, because who doesn’t want a spot at the Olympics?”
WSL chief executive Sophie Goldschmidt said the Olympics offered an incredible platform for the sport and she expected it would benefit from its debut in 2020.
“It is essential for surfing to showcase its best possible surfing through this opportunity and that requires the world’s best surfers from the Championship Tour to participate,” she said.
“It’s great that the ISA and WSL, in conversation with the athletes, could come to an agreement on the qualification process for 2020. We look forward to enhancing the partnership as we get closer to this fantastic opportunity.”
The qualifying process must be approved by the International Olympic Committee’s executive board in February.