Surfing will feature in the Olympic Games for the second time in Paris 2024. Here's everything you need to know about the qualifying criteria and qualified surfers.
After the success of surfing's Summer Olympics debut, it's time to get the world's best athletes to one of the best surf breaks on the planet.
The official Paris 2024 surfing event will take place in Teahupoo, Tahiti.
The French Polynesian surf spot is one of the planet's most challenging and dangerous waves.
The flight distance from Teahupoo to the French capital is 9,755 miles (15,700 kilometers), making it one of the longest distances between an Olympic medal venue and the host city.
The Paris 2024 Olympic surfing program will showcase 48 surfers - 24 male and 24 female athletes.
In total, there will be eight more surfers compared to Tokyo 2020.
The Olympic surfing tournament takes place between July 27-29, 2024.
The surfer's road to Paris 2024 comprises results from events run by the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the World Surf Leagues.
The ISA is the world governing body for the sport of surfing. It runs the World Surfing Games.
The WSL is the professional surfing circuit. It runs the Championship Tour.
Quota Places and Qualifying Events
Quota places for Paris 2024 will be distributed as follows:
- Qualification by athletes - 2023 WSL Championship Tour, Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, 2023 and 2024 ISA World Surfing Games;
- Qualification by National Olympic Committees (NOC) - 2022 and 2024 ISA World Surfing Games;
The complete qualification program for the Paris 2024 Olympic surfing competition involves the following events and criteria:
France | Host Country
- One quota place (men);
- One quota place (women);
2022 ISA World Surfing Games | Concluded
- One quota place per National Olympic Committee team (men);
- One quota place per National Olympic Committee team (women);
2023 ISA World Surfing Games
- Four quota places for the best athletes from each continent (Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania) (men);
- Four quota places for the best athletes from each continent (Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania) (women);
Santiago 2023 Pan American Games
- One quota place (men);
- One quota place (women);
2023 WSL Championship Tour (CT)
- Ten quota places (men);
- Eight quota places (women);
2024 ISA World Surfing Games
- Five quota places for the best athletes (men);
- One quota place per National Olympic Committee team (men);
- Seven quota places for the best athletes (women);
- One quota place per National Olympic Committee team (women);
Universality
- One quota place (men);
- One quota place (women);
Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) can qualify a maximum of four surfers for Paris 2024 at Teahupoo (two for each gender), though the number could rise to three (in each gender).
Surfing's qualifying period for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games begins in September 2022 and ends in June 2024.
Paris 2024 Olympic Games | Qualified Surfers
Men
Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) | 2022 ISA World Surfing Games
Women
Kirra Pinkerton (USA) | 2022 ISA World Surfing Games