La Jolla, California, July 31, 2020 – The International Surfing Association (ISA) has today announced its decision to postpone the World Surfing Games until 2021.
The decision was made in collaboration with the government in El Salvador, prioritizing the health and safety of the athletes, officials, fans, and citizens of El Salvador.
The World Surfing Games, which was originally scheduled to be held in May of 2020, has now been rescheduled for May 8-16, 2021. The ISA and local organizers will continue to monitor the global pandemic and provide periodic updates on the status of the event.
The 2021 edition of the World Surfing Games will take the place of the 2020 edition within the qualification framework for the Tokyo 2020 Games. The event will award 12 slots – 5 for men and 7 for women – to the highest placing eligible athletes.
The provisionally qualified surfers for Tokyo 2020 can be seen here.
ISA President Fernando Aguerre said:
“Given the global trend of the virus, we’ve decided it is the best interests of the health and safety of all involved to reschedule the World Surfing Games to 2021. Our decisions have been and will continue to be guided by public health experts and authorities.
“We are in constant dialogue with our partners and stakeholders – including the World Surf League. We are confident that this postponement will put us in the best position to celebrate a safe and spectacular edition of the event in the lead up to the Olympic Games.
“We will continue to monitor and assess the global situation in the interests of the athletes and teams.
“Through solidarity we will come out of this situation stronger as a sport, while gaining additional momentum towards Surfing’s Olympic debut.”
