The ISA is pleased to confirm that Portugal’s Teresa Bonvalot, France’s Johanne Defay, Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy, and Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb will represent their nations when Olympic Surfing takes to the world-renowned waves of Teahupo’o for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The 2023 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) awards Olympic qualification slots to the top 10 men and top 8 women, with a limit of two* surfers per gender for each nation.
Even with just four WSL CT events concluded at Pipeline, Sunset Beach, Portugal and Bells, these four women are mathematically assured to finish within the top 8 eligible CT surfers at the end of the 2023 Tour, therefore securing their places according to the Olympic Qualification System.
All earned slots are provisional until a final announcement after the closing of the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games. All qualification places are subject to nomination by the respective National Olympic Committee (NOC) and each surfer meeting the ISA Olympic Eligibility Requirements.
The four women will join two surfers, one man from Japan and one woman from the United States, following their teams having qualified one spot each for their nation at the ISA World Surfing Games in Huntington Beach last September. The names of these two surfers are yet to be identified and will be officially nominated by their respective NOC following Olympic Qualification.
This latest qualification update results in 6 of the 48 spots being provisionally qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. As the organization responsible for the Olympic Qualification pathway, the ISA will continue to provide updates during the year, as places are secured and confirmed.
*The NOC of the highest ranked team for Women and Men at the 2022 and 2024 ISA World Surfing Games will obtain one (1) quota place. In case the allocation goes to an NOC that has already qualified two (2) athletes, such NOC would be allowed to enter in the Paris 2024 Surfing competition a third athlete in the respective event.
ISA President Fernando Aguerre said:
“It’s amazing to see these incredible women already securing their places for Tahiti.
“What a great way to start the 2023 season.
“My heartfelt congratulations to Teresa, Brisa, Johanne and Tati – all returning Olympians from Tokyo 2020 – for his excellent accomplishment in its own right.
I can’t wait to see who else makes history this year and joins the wave to Teahupo’o and the Paris Olympic Games.”
