A power shift not seen since Rabbit Bartholomew busted down the door.
Tension heavy in the air, this morning, after an explosive report from Brazilian surf publication AOS revealed that the World Surf League and the International Surfing Association are making beef over Olympic surfing.
As you well know, during the past two Olympic surfing cycles, the World Surf League’s Championship Tour filled ten Olympic slots for the men and eight for the women with a limit of two surfers per country.
The International Surfing Association, however, has submitted a new proposal that would kneecap the WSL CT Olympic supremacy by carving its slots down to five for the men, five for the woman with a limit of one surfer per country.
The bulk of the Olympic surfing slots would be repechaged to the ISA and be won during its annual World Surfing Games which generally takes place in El Salvador.
The remaining bits giving to national Olympic committees to use at the country’s discretion.
As a result, the ISA and World Surfing Games would become necessary for professional surfers with Olympic dreams. In years’ past, CT surfers would do the absolute bare minimum, heading to only the required World Surfing Games and surfing only the required amount of heats before feigning injury.
Repechage for the win, I guess.
But a question. Do you enjoy the World Surfing Games and its endless heats with nobody ever losing or do you prefer the Championship Tour with its vicious culling of herd?
If all professional surfing became International Surfing Association, would you give up on watching?
On a funny side note, somehow the colorful ISA chief Fernando Aguerre’s name replaced Derek Rielly’s anytime Matt Warshaw texts us both. I always think “That Fernando such a wildly witty guy” until I remember that it’s Derek.
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Chas bro – remember amateur vs pro divisions? Olympics are the pinnacle of what used to be amateur surfing therefore it makes sense for the representative amateur body to decide who gets to go there like in all other sports. Pro surfing on the other hand is a private enterprise trying to make money by providing sports entertainment. Pro surfers can count themselves lucky to be even invited to the olympics on account of their WSL rankings.
Well put mate.
While early modern Olympics were strictly for amateurs, the IOC began loosening rules in the 1970s, making all professionals eligible by 1988.
“..or do you prefer the Championship Tour with its vicious culling of herd?”
I’ve always thought that the top 44 surfers deserved a second round of surf if they flew half way around the world to compete. This is the first season, that I know about / can remember, that if a surfer gets beat in round one then they’re out. I didn’t agree with it but clearly it has to be tried to see if it’s indeed the best way to save time. It can always be changed back.
Would be a trip hauling your ass all the way to G-Land or NZ and losing in the first round because your opponent has the first-round heat of their life.
I’d rather see the dudes surf three times than the chicks surf once
The old school pro tour never had second chance rounds, think early Bell’s, Sunset Beach etc. The pro tour copied tennis with its seeding and man on man format. I like the straight knock out decision as it means more time to hold heats in prime conditions.
hopefully a few old heads here know exactly what “Terje was right” means when reading this and reflecting on what is happening to snowboarding currently on the olympic level… surfing is a wave pool event away from becoming a gymnastics joke as well on the Olympic level…
TBs wave was the best
san chlamydia is clawing back
Torquay torchin!!
This has inspired me to publish my Kolohe song.
Common Bitch by Ween would suffice.
I agree
Maga snapped snapper.
At snapper.
Can we get some more photos of Shane Dorian’s attack dogs?
So went to ISA world juniors in Peru last year expecting the repo format, day b4 comp starts isa changes their mind and goes nah lets make it 1st round repo and 50% progression after that, so if your in latin America being led by a latin American anything could happen to the format at any time…sort of like the WSL last few years, or trump running a country
WSL have been changing the format but at least they’re listening to the fans/surfers and getting rid of the shit ideas.
This year is first-round knockouts. First time I’ve ever seen that. So we’ll see how that goes and whether potentially losing top surfers within 40 mins makes up for the time saved.
I suspect that within a couple/few years they’ll reverse this decision
Interesting. Makes it clear why Florence pulled out this year.
Jesus loves baby Darwin.
Fernando seems like a clown.
Pee Wee’s Playhouse reject.
Cowboy Curtis
Buffalo’s 49th contest from Makaha is live too lazy to put the link