Surfing and skateboarding – two extreme sports with strong ties to Southern California – will officially be part of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The news comes after the International Olympic Committee met in China on Feb. 3 and decided on 28 approved sports that members felt put a “strong focus on youth,” according to an announcement by the IOC.
“Skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing, all youth-focused sports, made their Olympic debut successfully at Tokyo 2020 and all of them have deep roots in California,” the announcement said.
The decision solidifies surfing’s place in Olympic programming, the International Surfing Association said in a statement. But there are still a lot of unknowns heading into the Los Angeles games – namely, which surf break will be picked as the competition arena.
Huntington Beach is already pushing to be considered, with experience handling big crowds, many hotels nearby and waves that break on both sides of the pier year-round.
Visit Huntington Beach CEO Kelly Miller said the IOC’s decision is a testament to surfing’s success at the 2020 Tokyo games and “takes a little bit of uncertainty out on whether surfing will remain in future games.”
Huntington Beach officials hope the organizing committee in Los Angeles will consider the city as a venue not just for surfing, but for other action sports like skateboarding and more.
“We are Surf City USA. We’ve demonstrated we can host the world’s largest surf competitions,” Miller said. “I also believe our infrastructure, our walkability, our world-class resort hotels, parking, key logistical considerations such as electrical and most important, the iconic athletic competition field of play of the north and south side of our pier – all of those things are tailor-made for must-watch television and social media engagement.”
Miller said the city will present options to Los Angeles Olympic organizers for surf, skate and BMX to be held in Huntington Beach.
“There are several venue options we are looking seriously at to present a full actin sports package for the LA 2028 Olympics,” he said.
Huntington Beach is home to the Vans Skatepark on the north end of the town, or other options may be explored, he said. The U.S. Open of Surfing footprint for years has had all three sports on the sand, with Vans building a skate and BMX park right on the beach.
“There’s a historical legacy of those sports working extremely well in one sustainable venue,” he said.
Miller gave kudos to the ISA, the governing body for surfing, and its president, Fernando Aguerre, for their decades-long effort to get surfing into the Olympics.
“Surfing in our ocean, it brings everyone together in one place, for one common purpose,” Miller said.
Lower Trestles, a crown jewel of surfing just south of San Clemente, may also be considered because of the high quality of waves there.
The addition of surfing marks a nearly three-decade journey for Aguerre, who spearheaded the efforts to get the sport into the Olympic games.
“It was my dream and hope to show that surfing was worthy of long-term inclusion in the Olympic Games. Today is a truly wonderful day when that dream becomes a permanent reality,” he said in a statement. “My heart is full of gratitude at this time of celebration for all surfers and fans of wave-riding.”
Aguerre said surfing is a natural fit for the LA games, which are scheduled for July 21 to Aug. 6, 2028.
“As the official sport of California, surfing is action, youth and energy combined,” he said. “And we have a powerful connection to the natural environment and sustainable living.”
Los Angeles officials in November recommended the action sports be part of their games, but this week’s IOC announcement puts an official stamp on including skateboarding and surfing.
Aguerre said he put 12,000 hours of effort into getting surfing into the games leading up to Tokyo and 4,000 hours since – which he estimated amounts to 96,000 waves he could have surfed.
Paris officials want to include the sport in the 2024 summer games, (the surfing competition will take place in Tahiti), but the prospect for Los Angeles remained uncertain until now.
“This is huge,” Aguerre said. “This is longevity. …I think this is the beginning of a new wave.”
He viewed Tokyo 2020 as a test to see how the sport would do in the Olympic arena.
“It was obvious we changed the paradigm, we shifted the games,” he said. “We really brought something they didn’t have.”
Aguerre said when IOC President Thomas Bach showed up in the athletes’ area in Tokyo, he marveled at how surfers from different countries were hanging out together – competitors on the waves, but friends out of the water.
Often in surf contests, there’s “a lot of competition, bad blood,” Aguerre said, but Bach recognized the camaraderie and, during a photo op, even held his hand high with pinky and thumb stretched out to make the surfing “shaka” sign.
“I think it’s a new era,” Aguerre said.
Here is the full list of approved sports for LA28:
World Athletics
World Rowing (FISA)
Badminton World Federation (BWF)
International Basketball Federation (FIBA)
International Canoe Federation (ICF)
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
International Equestrian Federation (FEI)
International Fencing Federation (FIE)
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)
International Golf Federation (IGF)
International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)
International Handball Federation (IHF)
International Hockey Federation (FIH)
International Judo Federation (IJF)
United World Wrestling (UWW)
International Swimming Federation (FINA)
World Rugby
World Taekwondo (WT)
International Tennis Federation (ITF)
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)
World Archery Federation (WA)
World Triathlon (TRI)
World Sailing (WS)
International Volleyball Federation (FIVB)
International Surfing Association (ISA)
World Skate (WSK)
International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC)
