Who is the face of Japanese surfing on tour?
It is impossible to find man, woman, non-specified or child who is not inspired by former World Surf League rookie of the year and current number five Connor O’Leary. The Cronulla-born screw foot is generally soft-spoken, “letting his surfing do the talking, gotta love that,” as Joe Turpel might say.
Surf fans were, thus, shocked today when the cherubic 30-year-old fired a heavy shot directly over Olympic silver medalist Kanoa Igarashi.
O’Leary, you see, while Cronulla-born, has a Japanese mother along with an Australian father though officially shifted allegiance from the latter to the former six-ish months ago, stating, “I‘m excited to announce that in 2024 I will be representing Japan on the WSL World Tour. I will also seek representation for Japan at the Paris 2024 Olympics by competing in the next ISA World Surfing Games.
With the Paris Games merely five months away, O’Leary sat down with The Guardian and discussed the switch, saying, “It’s been a conversation, a thought for a long time. (But) due to the timing of the Olympics, a lot of people have said: ‘it’s just because he couldn’t get into the Australian team.’”
Which, by the way, is a fact seeing that Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing will be representing the Lucky Country at “The Place of Broken Skulls.”
O’Leary has yet to qualify for Japan but will, potentially, after the World Surfing Games just underway in Puerto Rico. The aforementioned Igarashi has qualified and maybe cause for the fusillade?
For after discussing his upbringing and personal goals, O’Leary openly declared, “I want to see some Japanese surfers on the tour in the next couple of years – there’s so much talent. To be that face on the tour for them, and help the Australian kids as well, what more can you ask for?”
Boom.
Stripping figurehead status straight from Igarashi’s grasp.
In this unforeseen blood feud, who do you see coming out on top?
I’ve got to go with Kanoa. His surfing sparkled at Sunset and he also model-handsome.
Feel free to disagree.
A hapa???!!! LOL He isn’t Japanese and he isn’t white. He’s in nowhere land. Japanese surfers would never respect a hapa to represent them as neither would Australians. Kanoa all the way.
Imagine growing up in Chida your whole life, battling typhoon swells, grinding wind fetch, fight off gozillas, only to never get a shot at representing the country you live, breathe, spend, eat, cry, love, die in etc.
In comes Kanoa and Connor, one yelling Let’s GOOOOOO and the other looking at the surroundings and saying ‘this is alroight eh!’
Fuck man.
Reo Inaba already qualified and he’s legit Japanese. It’s kind of fucked up because Kanoa actually had qualified instead (via his placing in World Surfing Games). However, because CT qualification takes precedence over WSG qualification, it meant that his spot went to the next highest placing Asian at the WSG, who happened to be Inaba. Rio Waida (from Indonesia) was really stiff as he finished only a few spots behind and would have gotten it instead. Same thing happened with Jordy getting the African spot but then qualifying via his CT ranking.
It’s a bit of a rort because Japan are guaranteed a “third spot” in the Olympics due to winning the men’s division in the world surfing games last year. So Connor can sleepwalk his way to the Olympics as he’s the only Japanese surfer competing this year that is not already in the team. So take it to the bank that Connor isn’t “doing this for Japanese surfing”, he’s doing it so he can go to the Olympics. And some other poor Japanese surfer misses out.
Funny thing is that he actually swapped allegiance too late (must have at least 18 months go by between changing nationality and participating in the olympics) he should have been ineligible same way Erin Brooks should have been ineligible but it seems the ISA and IOC waved the “exceptional circumstances” wand.
That was an absolute waste of time,thanks Chas,go outside and play,the boys won’t bury you in the sandpit again. Or they might,no one cares
Im in having one selection for the Rat race.
The real 100% born and bred japanese pro’s have some of the best style/technique I have every seen in person.
Tenuous at best. I fucken love it haha
I loved Connor in the last Samari
That JJF/Dane Reynolds Japan section in Dear Suburbia is still one of the best ever, Had to inspire some kids that surf there,
Connor and Kanoa need to bond and cheer each other on like the Brazilians and Aussies. Think if Kanoa went full HAM over the top claim cheering for Connor from the beach? How great would that be. I’m for it. Team Japan rising…
Also, no surfer has ever done a Japan air.. Why do surfers discriminate against the nuances of basic straight airs? Pro’s do Super Mans which look cool on dirt bikes and have never once looked good on a surfboard. Super mans make it look like a guys’s trying to tea bag his board at best. Why not do a Rocket instead (something that might not have been done on a surfboard yet?), show everyone you know who Hosoi is, and some airs he’s invented. It would also show people that surfers can have a rudimentary understanding of airs and their history. What if the judges did too?
O’Leary states he’d like to see young Japanese kids on the tour. Well it might help their cause if some greedy self serving pro surfer from Australia didn’t vault the homegrown Japanese surfers to take their place at the Olympic Games.
So what Japanese surfer actually living in Japan could medal in Tahiti ?
Or you just fishing for another Eric the eel
Flag of convenience simple as. They have no chance of medaling , or simply getting experience for next Olympics, while glory hunting clever dick phoneys stand in their way.
Reo Inaba has already qualified for Japan (Connor will get the “third spot”). But as to whether he is good enough to podium, well maybe not.
I’ve grown very fond of Connor O’Leary recently.
Connaw O’Wearwy.
Chas with an S also like handsome young boys in tight wetsuits
Had a look at the competitor list in the ISA. It’s bullshit. Every single competitor from a non-surfing country (Greece, Finland, Sweden, etc) is a blow in, as are about half of the competitors from Latin America (e.g. Colombia)
s0 the the enemies of Japan in WW2 will be representing Japan in the Olympics.
as if nuking them wasn’t enough.
Which country will Kelly pretend to be from in order to barge his way into the olympics and go out in the first round?
Syria is Roberts only chance.
Technically he could up and move to one of the US protectorates like Puerto Rico and compete for them. But he’s left it way too late.
The Wheaties box is for USA gold so what’s the point
hmm. i’m conditioned for spice when i read blood feud. This was more like “the best pad thai i’ve ever had – sarah, visiting”.
old spice…
Chas was the guy in high school making up rumours like did you know he said this about you, and proceeds to stand idly by afterschool behind the canteen screaming fight fight fight fight with a big smile on his face
All of that plus Hall Monitor!
Yeah he would have been a rat for sure.
Just look at him .
Pointy face =prefect
This is alex jones, filipe, rip curl level bullshit
“I want to see some Japanese surfers on the tour in the next couple of years – there’s so much talent. To be that face on the tour for them, and help the Australian kids as well, what more can you ask for?”
…check there memonry passport
Whichever one commits seppuku first should be given the slot.
Absolute rubbish you can switch what country you represent. It’s a disservice to born and raised Japanese surfers like Hiroto Ohhara. Neither Connor or Kanoa should be considered. If they aren’t good enough to be selected for the country they were born in, then tough luck.
I was born in this sun cunt burntry
And would refuse to represent these savages
Due to the injustices of Donald Trump, for decades countrypersons have been forced to become migrants, not because they didn’t have love of their lands. We have to allow these poor retched souls washed from their home shores to at least represent the country that is in their ancestry and hearts. It is the least we can do to relieve them of their plight which was no cause of their own.
They competed in and won their spots. Nothing was “given”. Both have Japanese parents. Growing up in another country doesn’t diminish their heritage. If you knew anything about them, you’d know they hold citizenship there and have traveled all their lives to Japan and are connected there.
Just in, Quinoa Ig poses as his brother Bohdi to qualify him for olympics
Connor is only half Japanese. Anyone who’s dated a Japanese will know that being half-Japanese is pretty much shameful and he will never get full support from the Japanese public. But at least he’s not half black (ala Osaka) – that would really upset the traditionalists.
Pretty sure that Connor has already missed out on surfing for Japan as Reo Inaba already quaified along with Quinoa. It’s true that Japan gets a “third NOC spot” because they won last year’s world surfing games but I think I read somewhere that Connor left it too late to change camps.
Half asian women may be shunned in their community but they are loved by all western men
Weezer sung it best
Pornhub did ok.
I blew it with the most beautiful half Japanese lady several years ago. We had a brilliant first date, capped off with a tender kiss, and plans were made to see each other again three days later. Unfortunately, I kicked on after said date, and went on a two week bender. By the time I sorted myself out, contacted her to apologise and asked for another shot, she was over it. Can’t say I blame her. Reason 432 why I don’t drink anymore.
A two week Photoshop bender?
You coulda hung with her got some cultural perspective and you wldnt be the way you are.
Ahh the old 2 week bender. Has ruined at least 100 potential gf’s for me. I’m still in love with a half Filipino, half Swede girl I had a night with while backpacking through Central America. What could have been !
this is too much research
more speculation be better in line with what happens here
Only nippon, stable sociiety, culture.
Blue Eye Samurai is awesome.
Chas or someone really needs to post the current qualification standings, open spots and scenarios for filling them.
lol that might be a touch too much “surf journalism” for BG but i’m bored so here goes:
Already qualified:
1. Toledo
2. Colapinto
3. Ewing
4. Chianca
5. Robinson
6. Florence
7. Fioravanti
8. Igarashi
9. Smith
10. McGillivray
11. Alan Cleland (mexico)
12. Vaast
13. Inaba (japan)
14. Stairmand (NZ)
15. Mesinas
16. Connor O’Leary (technically not yet qualified but will be given the third spot for Japan because they won the WSG games)
6 more spots left to be allocated of which:
1 spot to the team that wins the world surfing games this year. If for some reason Japan wins again, they won’t get 4 spots, it will go to the US (already confirmed to be Barron) as they came second in the 2023 world surfing games. If any other nation wins, they will get the third spot provided they already have two surfers qualified (e.g. Brazil, Australia, USA, South Africa).
4 spots for the highest placing surfers at the WSG who have not already qualified.
1 spot for “universality place” which is a surfer who finished in the top 50 in either 2023 or 2024 world surfing games. Must be nominated by their country and approved by “tripartite commission” (whoever that is). Basically this is the spot for a battler who will inspire surfers from his country to take up the sport. If none of the nominations are approved, this spot will go to the 5th highest placing eligible surfer at the WSG.
Hope you made it that far!
You can see that those last 4 or 5 spots are tailor made for a guy like Fred Morais Rio Waida, Carlos Munoz or Joan Duru to get a gig. In fact i’d just about pencil those 4 in as they should be way better than any of the other surfers from surfing backwaters. Maybe Ramzi as well.
Absolutely correct. Ethnicity matters in Japan, as ANY 100% ethnic Japanese from any country like the US or Brasil, can qualify for a Japanese passport with proper documentation, even if they have never set foot in Japan at all.
Being 100% ethnic Japanese, Kanoa will get the support for the Japanese public over Connor, who is only half Japanese.
Born and raised Japanese surfers will be seething that either of them can be representatives for Japan at the Olympic Ganes, rather than themselves.
I think that if you get Japanese citizenship as a westerner (difficult but not impossible) you have to take a Japanese name and get this special red ink stamp with your name converted to Kanji so that you can sign official documents with it. Unless of course you’re Korean in which case they wont even give you citizenship even if your family’s been in Japan for 3 generations.
This is a wack comment. Half Japanese is not shameful. He may not get the full support only because he hasn’t had much of a presence on the Japanese tour there. Your racist thinking must mean you were born in the 1950’s. No one thinks that today.
Hello matsuda, I don’t know whether you live in Japan like my ex, who readily exposed such “wack” views but if you have not been there, get ready for a shock mate
Orher classic Japanese ideas are:
Japanese have longer intestines than other races.
Blood type determines your blood type. But lucky im type O+, so apparently “warm”
Foreigners are “hairy barbarians”
Its shameful for a Japanese man to marry a Thai
Japanese will never have a female prime minister “in my lifetime”
Its not my job to change your mind but like I said, go to japam and get ready for “wack”
I guess you are just unconscious. I’ve lived in Japan. My husband is Japanese. I know something about the views and culture. Your regurgitating of 2nd hand views & claiming them to be widespread is amusing.
Gotcha, so your Japanese husband is right but my Japanese girlfriend was wrong.
And in case it wasn’t absolutely obvious, the views were hers not mine.
She’s your Ex for a reason. Maybe you don’t fit the right requirements to be accepted.
Have a listen to yourself.
Keep attacking the man while conveniently sidestepping all the evidence.
Christ, no shame in admitting that deep down Japan has some racist issues to grapple with. Like any country.
Aah now I get it.
You’re worried that your half japanese kids are going to get the same “not really Japanese” treatment as Connor or Naomi Osaka.
It sucks doesn’t it.
I love Japan, it’s amazing, and populated with amazing people.
But deep down, there’s a divide that can never be crossed. You probably came across it already, you know, being excluded from participating in certain cultural events, or not welcome in some restaurants. It really is sad when the penny drops and you realise for all the connections you’ve made, you’ll never be Japanese.
Obviously this is writ large in the plight of those third generation Japanese of Korean descent who still can’t get citizenship.
Gnash your teeth all you want, these are facts. There’s an alternate universe out there where i’m in the same boat as you, married to a Japanese. I’d be bummed too if my kids got excluded on the basis of being “not really Japanese”. But it is what it is.
Since you really don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s a waste of time to correct you. Maybe your Japanese girlfriend fed you a bunch of false info or was racist, I don’t know the motivation. I’ve lived there, I work for one of the largest Japanese companies in the world and my husband and his family from Japan. I believe I have more direct knowledge than you do secondhand. Sayonara!
I lived there too, and amazingly worked for some of the largest Japanese companies as well.
I loved it. Great place, great people. I go back all the time.
Don’t worry, all those stories of Japanese fathers abducting their kids and never seeing the mother again are just fantasies in my mind, right?