The world’s best surfers will be competing for national pride, gold medals, and Olympic qualification at the 2023 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games (WSG), held May 30 – June 7.
Here are ten things you should know about the competition:
- Olympic Dreams
Thanks to over 20-years of hard work and dedication from the ISA, led by its President Fernando Aguerre, surfing is now headed into its second Olympic Games at Paris 2024. After a monumental decision at Rio 2016 led to the hugely successful debut of surfing at Tokyo 2020, Teahupo’o, Tahiti is set to deliver an even bigger and better show in 2024.
Four men and four women will directly qualify for Paris 2024 through the 2023 WSG. Specifically, the highest-ranking eligible man and woman from each of four continents – Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania – will clinch their Olympic slots.
Olympic qualification slots for the Americas, one for men and one for women, will be decided via the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. The top five ranking eligible men and top five ranking eligible women representing the Americas at the WSG will qualify for Santiago 2023 and the winners of that event will clinch the Olympic slots for their continent.
Learn more about the Paris 2024 qualification process here.
- ISA Gold Medalists, Tokyo 2020 Olympians, and WSL Champions to Compete
This year’s WSG features a who’s who of the absolute best surfers in the world.
- 8 former ISA gold medalists, including defending champion Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) and three-time winner Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS).
- 28 of the 40 Olympians who competed in Tokyo 2020, including gold medalist Carissa Moore (USA), silver medalist Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) and bronze medalist Amuro Tsuzuki (JPN).
- 4 WSL Champions – five-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore (USA), three-time WSL Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA), two-time WSL Champion John-John Florence (USA) and 2022 WSL Champion Filipe Toledo (BRA).