Fernando Aguerre, chairman of the International Surfing Association (ISA), wrote this defense of surfing and the Olympics for the Spring 1996 issue of the Surfer's Journal. It was a rebuttal to 

Steve Pezman's editorial from the previous issue.

 Aguerre's article, below, has been shortened and slightly edited.

In the last issue of The Journal, you ran an article regarding the improbability of surfing ever becoming an Olympic sport. I would like to show a different perspective; one that will open some eyes and minds.

The biggest issue you mention was that by going Olympic, surfing could be losing its character, spontaneity and appeal. I sincerely fail to see how being included in the Olympics would worsen anything. We will continue to have the world professional tour and other pro and amateur contests around the globe.

The fact is that the vast majority of surfers never compete anyway. Like you, they just want to enjoy the ocean and do some soul surfing. But there is always someone that wants to compare themselves to somebody else, hence competition. I believe that the soulful, adventurous, cultural life-enriching side of surfing will be reaching an even-larger amount of young kids and other recreational surfers, as soon as surfing becomes an Olympic sport. As a consequence, each ISA affiliate organization such as the USSF will have an easier time obtaining the needed funds to develop their programs properly.

The Journal article mentions other “reasons” to support its viewpoint. Let’s talk about them.

 I don’t see this as a problem. This is the same for many sports: gymnastics, figure skating, Olympic boxing, freestyle skiing, diving, to name a few. Some of these are highly popular sports. By the way, a ten-judge panel will offset any favoritism by any surfing judge. So please don’t include this reason in your pessimistic equation.

 Waves have never been an obstacle for surf contests. Not even for the World Tour. I have been to several tour contests that were held in dismal surf. In some cases, a wavepool might actually be a better choice. The waves are always perfect and you can control the conditions. Remove this point from the equation.

 I imagine that just as sailing found a solution, we will too. Japan has a wave machine with 4-5' surf, offshore winds and tubes. [This pool] can be replicated anywhere. So this point is out of the equation as well.

As far as paddleboard racing goes, that sounds interesting, perhaps worth talking about. However, worldwide you will find a much smaller population practicing this sport, not to mention the size and price of the boards, which makes them unfit for younger surfers on foot or bicycle and unaffordable for most people.

As anyone can now tell, the new push for Olympic surfing is one that will bring better and happier times for everybody in our beloved sport. The zeal has not been lost or even slowed down.

If anything, we’ve made significant progress. When you look at this issue from a more educated angle, it actually proves to be both appealing and desirable.

Finally, I would like to say that here at the ISA, we are a determined group. We think surfing has paid its dues and deserves to be included in the longest-running, highest-regarded, most-watched sporting event in the world—the Olympic Games.

"EQUAL TIME: OLYMPICS," BY FERNANDO AGUERRE (1996)

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