Surfing at the Summer Olympics

Lore & Background

Surfing was included in a shortlist of sports for the 2020 Summer Olympics in September 2015, alongside baseball, softball, karate, skateboarding, and sport climbing. In June 2016, the International Olympic Committee's executive board supported the proposal to include all shortlisted sports, and on August 3, 2016, all five sports (with baseball and softball counted together) were approved for the 2020 Olympic program. A major obstacle to earlier inclusion was the difficulty of staging surfing events when a landlocked country hosted the Games, as well as the risk of drowning, which made the IOC cautious about assuming high liability.

Reader's Guide

Surfing's inclusion in the Summer Olympics marks a significant expansion of the Games into youth-oriented, outdoor sports. The United States leads in gold medals with two, while Brazil has the highest total medal count with three. The sport's transition from a discretionary to a mandatory sport for the 2028 Games underscores its growing acceptance within the Olympic movement. The decision to include surfing followed years of debate over logistical challenges, such as hosting in landlocked nations and safety concerns related to drowning. By limiting competition to shortboard surfing, the Olympics have standardized the event while preserving the sport's core athletic demands. The participation of multiple nations reflects surfing's global reach, though the medal table remains dominated by countries with strong coastal surfing traditions.

Did You Know?

• The United States have won the most gold medals in Olympic surfing (1).
• Brazil have won the most total medals in Olympic surfing (2).
• One obstacle to surfing's Olympic inclusion was the risk of drowning and the IOC's liability concerns.