Penultimate Olympic qualifying domino This week it fell when the Japanese chose Added Conor O'Leary to their team. The Japanese team had won the 2022 ISA World Surfing Games and earned an “extra” spot in the men's category, but until the March 12 announcement, Japan had not revealed how it would select its surfers. There wasn't. Now, Japan has assembled a team, and 46 out of 48 Olympic athletes have been confirmed. One question remains when it comes to filling out the Olympic roster. It's about who gets the “universal” slot.
Surfing is given two universal slots. Qualification process. There is one for men and one for women. The purpose of the universal quota is to give athletes from countries traditionally underrepresented at the Olympics a chance. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has secured 102 spots in 21 sports for the 2024 Paris Games. Two of them will be surfers.
Here's how it works: Produced by IOC list (Scroll to the bottom of the PDF) List of countries eligible for slots. Eligible surfers must meet the following criteria to apply:
- Finished in the top 50 at the World Surfing Games in 2023 or 2024.
- I am from a country on the IOC list.
- They come from countries that have averaged no more than eight Olympians in any individual sport/discipline during the past two Games.
ISA President Fernando Aguerre announced a teaser during the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games webcast that five applications had been received, two of which were deemed acceptable.
Who could that be? Let's take a look at who qualifies.
Four surfers met the criteria for the 2023 World Surfing Games. All three Salvadoran male surfers Brian Perez, Daniel Monterrosa and Porfirio Miranda finished in the top 50. For women, Nicaragua's Candelaria Resano made it into the top 50. El Salvador and Nicaragua are both on the list of eligible countries.
At the 2024 World Surfing Games, Resano once again cracked the top 50. Lucy Jarrad of American Samoa, another of his countries on the list, also made it into the top 50.
El Salvador, Nicaragua and American Samoa met that standard because they averaged fewer than eight athletes from Rio 2016 to Tokyo 2020.
So, in theory, the five applications would come from these five surfers. Looking for tips, both Brian Perez and Candelaria Lesano attended. ISA's Teahupo'o Training Program last year. I'm willing to bet that Perez and Resano will be the final two mystery Olympians, as both showed they are unbeatable at Te Aupoo (at least in the swell that was on offer).
However, it is at the discretion of the ISA whether or not to recommend a surfer to the IOC. There's a good chance they didn't select Perez or Resano. Expect the announcement of the universal slot to round out the surfers for the 2024 Paris Olympics to be announced soon.
