IOC Decides Longboard Surfing will not be Included in LA28 Olympics
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(DISCLAIMER: Big Wave surfing is not an Olympic discipline. It's hard to tell why they made this video but it sure is rad!)
The International Olympic Committe (IOC) announced it will not to include longboard surfing as part of its 2028 Summer Olympics program in Los Angeles.
Shortboard surfing was added as a discretionary sport to the Olympics in 2020 and 2024. In 2028 it will be inducted as a mandatory sport, securing its status as a consistent feature of every Summer Olympics. Efforts to throw in longboarding have apparently fallen flat this time around.
The International Surfing Association (ISA) responded to the IOC’s decision not to add longboarding in a press release on April 9, 2025:
"The International Surfing Association (ISA) acknowledges with disappointment the decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to include Longboard Surfing in the LA28 Olympic Games.
The ISA appreciated the opportunity to present Longboard’s value for Olympic inclusion and are grateful for its consideration in the LA28 program. While our request for additional athletes for Shortboard Surfing was also declined, we will continue our push for greater participation at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
At the same time, the ISA understands and applauds the IOC’s continued push for gender equality as one of the key criteria behind its decisions today on the events and quotas for LA28.
The ISA firmly believes in the value of Longboard Surfing and the expanding global reach of our sport across its many events and disciplines. The proven success of Longboard at past Pan American Games is a testimony to its value, and we remain fully committed to the sport’s continued growth and development through our multiple World Championships."
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ISA President Fernando Aguerre said:
Obviously, we are disappointed to receive the news that Longboard Surfing will not feature at LA28 and that we will not receive more slots for our athletes, but I believe we are still only in the early stages of our long Olympic journey.
We are proud of Surfing’s contribution to the success of the Olympic Games, and will continue to push forward in our efforts to campaign for Longboard inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games and beyond. We look forward to working closely with the IOC and the Brisbane Organizing Committee to highlight our sport’s value on the Olympic stage.
As surfers, we know that finding the perfect wave takes time. In our sport, we learn patience, passion and persistence. Those are traits that the ISA has always demonstrated across our nearly 30-year journey to see Shortboard Surfing’s debut in Tokyo. We will continue to put that same energy into our Olympic ambitions for the future.
We’re bummed we won’t get to see the first longboarding gold medal dished out at Malibu. On the other hand, it looks like Olympic surfing is here to stay.
Probably not great for the lineup.
