The ISA World Surfing Games 2020 will award the last twelve Olympic places.

A few months ago we brought you the news about the decision made by the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the Government of El Salvador, where it was announced that the last stop that would award Olympic places would be postponed due to the COVID-19 situation.

At that time, it was determined that the next announcement could come in the second half of 2020 and would be based on the situation in the Central American country at that time. July arrived, and with a growing trend of cases in the Central American country, the games could be postponed again.

The announcement regarding a possible change of dates for the ISA World Surfing Games El Salvador 2020 could become a reality next week, as the organizing bodies and the local government are defining a course that points to the end of the year or, due to the lack of good waves at this time of year, to 2021.

Regarding Olympic qualification, this world championship offers the final twelve spots, seven for women and five for men. Our country will try to secure more qualifications; currently, Costa Rica has one qualified female athlete, Brisa Hennessy.

The current president of the Costa Rican Surfing Federation, Mr. Randall Chaves, addressed the issue of uncertainty regarding whether the World Games will take place this year.

“We are waiting to see what the authorities decide regarding whether the World Cup will be held in 2020 or next year. We hope they make the best decision, prioritizing the health of everyone and ensuring optimal conditions if they do hold it this year.”

Chaves also mentions the preparation and monitoring that they have given, together with the National Olympic Committee, to the pre-selected athletes in order to ensure that they are in the best possible condition for these games and to seek Olympic qualifications.

“The initial idea was to train several times in El Salvador, however, due to the current situation, this was not possible. Our plan now is to hold two training camps in Costa Rica and bring together the pre-selection team, following health protocols, now that beach access will be extended to allow for more time to socialize and train with the athletes.”

The current national surfing champion, Jair Pérez, also addressed the issue and told us the following.

“As we know, until 1 or 2 days ago, the Government has given the possibility that from August 1st there can be more free access to the beaches nationwide in cantons under yellow alert. I hope that we can soon return to training since since the last training we did in El Salvador we have not been able to get together all as a team to train strategies, video analysis, among other details.
I know that the Olympic Committee, ICODER, and the Costa Rican Surfing Federation are all working on strategies to bring the team back together with health measures in place for everyone.”

The ISA World Surfing Games El Salvador 2020 will have some very striking statistics, as it will be the last opportunity for athletes to attend the Olympics. Furthermore, if held under normal circumstances, it will undoubtedly be one of the world championships with the largest number of participating countries.

Written by: Enrique Hernández

General Management: Marco Montero