Many of your readers might not be aware that the ISA proposed SUP to be included on the program of the Tokyo 2020 Games, but only shortboard surfing was selected. That said, SUP has achieved lots of big milestones in the Olympic Movement with inclusion in regional multisport games such as the 2019 Pan Am Games, the 2017 Central Amer-ican Games, the 2012 and 2014 Bolivarian Beach Games, and the 2013 Bolivarian Games. We will continue to lobby for the sport’s inclusion, as we have done for many years, until the possible becomes inevitable.
How do you see the future of surfers both in competitions and in free sessions? It seems like a lot of work is going on all over the world! A rising tide lifts all the boats. On the cusp of Surfing’s Olympic debut, the sport is about to receive more global attention than it ever has a thousand times over. This increased interest and exposure in surfing will benefit all surfers, from competitive surfers, to free surfers, to the grassroots movements around the world. And you don’t have to look far to see these positive impacts already taking place. The support system of Olympic inclusion began almost immediately through increased funding from National Olympic Committees and national government who now unders the medal potential and legitimacy of the sport. In addition, we were given access to Olympic solidarity development programs which the ISA has run in countries such as Angola, Panama, Fiji, Guatemala, Cape Verde, and the Dominican Republic to continue to nurture the grassroots. We’ve seen more countries growing and developing the sport than ever before, directly due to surfing’s Olympic inclusion. Countries like Sene-gal have fielded NOC-funded teams to compete in the ISA World Surfing Games for 3 54