Birth : At the turn of the 20th century, for modern surfing
Equipment : Surfboard, leash, wetsuit
1st competition : 1953 in Makaha, Hawaii (USA)
Number of surfers : Between 25 and 35 million worldwide
Olympic debut : Tokyo 2020 in 2021
25 to 28 July 2021
Venue : Tsurigasaki Beach, Chiba
Participants: 40 (20 men, 20 women)
2 events
Shortboard, men’s and women’s
Each wave is scored from 0 to 10 by a panel of five judges based on the difficulty, variety and type of manoeuvres. Surfers are also judged on their power, speed and flow during and between these manoeuvres. Only the two best waves for each surfer count.
The duration of each heat (20 to 35 minutes) and the maximum number of waves each surfer can ride are determined by the technical director before the day of the competition.
Competition format
The competition consisted of six rounds :
• Round 1 : Five heats of four surfers each.
The top two in each heat (ten in total) advanced to the third round. The other two in each heat (ten in total) moved on to the second round (repechage).
• Round 2 : Two heats of five surfers each.
The top three in each heat (six in total) advanced to the third round. The other two in each heat (four in total) were eliminated.
• Round 3 and final phase : The head-to-head competition began with this round of 16.
Winners advanced to the quarter-finals; losers were eliminated.
• Quarter-finals
• Semi-finals
• Final and bronze medal match
Results
Men : Italo FERREIRA (BRA), IGARASHI Kanoa (JPN), Owen WRIGHT (AUS)
Women : Carissa MOORE (USA), Bianca BUITENDAD (RSA), TSUZUKI Amuro (JPN)
27 to 30 July 2024
Venue : Teahupo’o (Tahiti)
Participants : 48 (24 men, 24 women)
2 events
Shortboard, men’s and women’s
Each wave is scored from 0 to 10 by a panel of five judges based on the difficulty, variety and type of manoeuvres. Surfers are also judged on their power, speed and flow during and between these manoeuvres. Only the two best waves for each surfer count.
The duration of each heat (20 to 35 minutes) and the maximum number of waves each surfer can ride are determined by the technical director before the day of the competition.
Competition format
The differences with Tokyo 2020 are due to the increase in the number of surfers.
• Round 1 : Six heats of four surfers instead of five.
Twelve, instead of ten, athletes qualify directly for the third round. Twelve, instead of ten, athletes must go through the second round (repechage).
• Round 2 : Six surfers instead of five per heat.
The top two instead of the top three, i.e. four instead of six surfers, qualify for the third round. Eight surfers eliminated instead of four.
The rest of the competition is the same as Tokyo 2020.
