Paris Olympics 2024: What is Surfing? All you need to know about the sport

Among the 32 sports that will feature in the Paris Olympics 2024, surfing is undoubtedly one of the most bold and exciting competitions that will test the abilities and endurance of the participants.

Appearing on the Olympic stage for the second time after making its debut at Tokyo 2020, surfing will surely buzz up the coolness quotient of this Summer Olympics.

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Surfing in Paris Olympics 2024

The surfing event in the Paris Olympics 2024 is unique in the sense that it will not take place in continental Europe like the rest of the events. Instead, it will be held on the southern Pacific island of Tahiti, where 48 surfers from 21 countries will compete in two events over four days in a 10-day window between July 27 and August 5.

The surfing competition for the Paris Olympics 2024 will take place on the mountainous coast of Teahupo'o, where the waves, usually between 6-10 feet but could rise to 20 ft, are some of the strongest in the world.

The USA and Australia, which have historically dominated surfing competitions around the world, will look to continue their dominance. However, Brazil and Japan, who surprised in the sport in Tokyo 2020 will look to make the winner’s board as diverse as possible.

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How will surfers be judged in Paris Olympics 2024?

A surfer’s heat – where they are expected to perform manoeuvers and tricks on the waves – will be judged by a panel of five judges. The criteria include the surfer’s ‘speed, power, and flow’ as well as the complexity and variety of their tricks. A mean of three scores (excluding the lowest and highest scores) are recorded for each surfer.

Olympic surfers use shortboards in their heat, as they allow for faster and more flexible surfing. The endurance of the surfboard is also important, as individual surfing heats can last from anywhere between 20 to 35 minutes.

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Surfing in previous Summer Olympics

After decades of lobbying by top surfers around the world, the IOC finally added surfing to Tokyo Olympics 2020’s roster. 40 surfers from 17 countries took part in the event, and the gold medals were won by Brazil’s Italo Ferreira (men’s) and the USA’s Carissa Moore (women’s).

The rest of the medalists were Kanoa Igarashi (Japan; silver), Owen Wright (Australia; bronze), Bianca Buitendag (South Africa; silver), and Amuro Tsuzuki (Japan; bronze).