More than 250 athletes from 51 countries are set to unite in El Salvador to compete for national pride, Gold Medals, and Tokyo 2020 qualification at the Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games (WSG).
From May 29 – June 6 the world’s best National Surfing Teams will be chasing their dreams of becoming part of Surfing’s first wave of Olympians.
Here are 10 thing to know about the upcoming competition:
- Olympic dreams
The 2021 WSG is the final event in Surfing’s Qualification pathway for Tokyo 2020. The event will fulfill 12 Olympic dreams by qualifying the final 7 women and 5 men to arrive at the grand total of 20 qualified men and women. The qualification slots will be awarded to the highest ranking, eligible athletes in each division.
28 of the 40 Olympic surfers have already provisionally qualified through the 2019 World Surf League Championship Tour (WSL CT), the 2019 ISA World Surfing Games, and the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.
At the WSG Closing Ceremony, the ISA will recognize and honor all the Olympic qualified surfers present at the event.
Learn more about the qualification system and see who has provisionally qualified here.
- Where to watch
The event will stream live daily on the official event website isasurf.org and the ISA’s Facebook page.
The event website will contain daily updated photos, videos, news, and schedules – your home for all information related to the event.
For viewers in Brazil, the stream will exclusively be available on the Olympic Channel of Brazil.
Viewers in Latin America will also be able to see daily highlights and live coverage on ESPN.
Additionally, the event will stream daily on Olympics.org.
- The history
Originally named the International Surfing Federation World Championships, the World Surfing Games crowned the first Surfing World Champions in Manly Beach, Australia in 1964. The WSG has been crowning champions ever since, with competitions being held on all five continents of the globe.
Central America last hosted the WSG in 2016 in Costa Rica, a historic edition that welcomed the confirmation of Surfing’s inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. However, 2021 will mark the first time that the event has taken place in El Salvador.
- Gender equality
In an effort to promote gender equality in surfing and promote women participation, the ISA adjusted its competition format in 2017 to offer equal competition slots for men and women across its World Championship Series.
Since the 2018 edition, the WSG has broken the record for female participation each year, attesting to the growth of women’s surfing on all continents of the globe.
In 2021, a record 121 women (47% of competitors) will compete and represent their nations.