ISA Announces New Dates for 2021 World Surfing Games

The ISA has been working in close collaboration with its partners in El Salvador and with the World Surf League (WSL) in recent months as the global pandemic has continued to impact the world sporting calendar. Originally rescheduled in early May 2021, the World Surfing Games’ new dates will ensure optimal travel conditions for all the surfers and national teams in the collective best interests of health and safety.

The 2021 edition of the World Surfing Games is the last remaining piece of the Tokyo 2020 qualification process. There are 5 remaining slots for men to be earned and 7 for women, which will go to the highest ranking eligible athletes in the event.

For a list of the athletes who have already provisionally qualified, click here.

The World Surfing Games is an Olympic-style, team event, where athletes compete under the flag of their nation. Each nation fields their top three men and three women, each accumulating points that count towards the overall team total.

ISA President Fernando Aguerre said:

“We are looking forward to receiving the world’s best national surfing teams to compete collectively for Team Gold and individually for the coveted Tokyo 2020 qualification slots.

“As we all deal with the global pandemic and prepare for the phased return of sports around the world, we are working diligently with our partners to safely run this World Championship in El Salvador. The safety of the athletes and staff will always be our highest priority, and we will continue to actively monitor the latest information available to create a safe environment for the competition.

“This will be a truly historic moment for surfing — one more major milestone on the path to Surfing’s soon-to-come Olympic debut.”

The International Surfing Association (ISA), founded in 1964, is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. The ISA governs and defines Surfing as Shortboard, Longboard & Bodyboarding, StandUp Paddle (SUP) Racing and Surfing, Para Surfing, Bodysurfing, Wakesurfing, and all other wave riding activities on any type of waves, and on flat water using wave riding equipment. The ISA crowned its first Men’s and Women’s World Champions in 1964. It crowned the first Big Wave World Champion in 1965; World Junior Champion in 1980; World Kneeboard Champions in 1982; World Longboard Surfing and World Bodyboard Champions in 1988; World Tandem Surfing Champions in 2006; World Masters Champions in 2007; World StandUp Paddle (SUP, both surfing and racing) and Paddleboard Champions in 2012; and World Para Surfing Champions in 2015.

ISA membership includes the surfing National Federations of 108 countries on five continents. The ISA is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (ARG). The Executive Committee includes four Vice-Presidents Karín Sierralta (PER), Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), Casper Steinfath (DEN) and Barbara Kendall (NZL), Athletes’ Commission Chair Justine Dupont (FRA), Regular Members Atsushi Sakai (JPN) and Jean Luc Arassus (FRA) and ISA Executive Director Robert Fasulo as Ex-officio Member.

Its headquarters are located in La Jolla, California (USA).

For further information, please visit ISA's website www.isasurf.org. You can also follow ISA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube.