Olympic Surfing Qualification Starts with ISA Flagship Event
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is pleased and proud to announce Huntington Beach, California, USA, as the host of the 2022 ISA World Surfing Games, September 17 – 24.
In a significant innovation to the Olympic Surfing Qualification System, the winning men’s and women’s National Teams at these World Surfing Games will be allocated one Olympic slot each for their respective country/National Olympic Committee (NOC).
This qualification slot will be in addition to the maximum quota of 2 athletes per country for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Fierce competition is expected for this potential third slot for the top teams.
The ISA’s premier event, presented by Visit Huntington Beach, returns to ‘Surf City USA’ for the first time since 2006.
Huntington Beach has played a historic role for the sport of surfing, having hosted top-tier global events. The 2022 ISA World Surfing Games will be the seventh major ISA Event held in ‘Surf City USA’ after the city hosted three editions of the ISA World Surfing Games in 1984, 1996 and 2006, as well as the ISA World Juniors in 2005, 2018 and 2019.
The World Surfing Games is the ISA’s flagship open championship event, having served as the first Olympic qualifying events in 2019 in Miyazaki, Japan and in 2021 in Surf City El Salvador. Past ISA World Surfing Games Champions include Italo Ferreira (BRA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Jordy Smith (RSA), Courtney Conlogue (USA), and CJ Hopgood and Sofía Mulánovich (PER).
The 2021 edition saw France take the overall Team Gold Medal, highlighting the strong tradition of Surfing in the country in the leadup to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where surfing will be held in the world renowned wave at Teahupoo in Tahiti.
ISA President Fernando Aguerre said:
“Huntington Beach becomes the first step in our exciting paddle towards the 2024 Olympic Games. Excellent waves and the strong Southern California surf culture, made Huntington Beach a natural choice for this iconic event.
“With an extra Olympic slot up for grabs for the top men’s and women’s teams at these 2022 ISA World Surfing Games, the competition for the coveted ISA World Team Champion Trophy is going to be epic and the most important ever.”
President & CEO of Visit Huntington Beach, Kelly Miller, said:
“Visit Huntington Beach, the official destination marketing organization for the city, is ecstatic to host the international athletes, their families, team officials, and fans from all over the world and build on the success of past ISA events here this fall. The Huntington Beach Pier has been a historic and iconic backdrop for many sporting events and will now welcome back the ISA World Surfing Games for the fourth time. We look forward to extending our Surf City USA hospitality and welcoming everyone to this quintessential Southern California beach destination filled with rich surf culture, family atmosphere, laidback luxury accommodations, shopping and dining.”
