The criterion of universality could benefit the selection of El Salvador and Nicaragua to race in the waves of Teahupo'o.

We will begin by defining the criterion of universality to broaden the clarity of the topic:

“Universality means that all human beings have the same human rights simply by virtue of being human, regardless of where they live and who they are, as well as their particular situation or characteristics.”

The International Surfing Association (ISA) has announced the list of 93 countries with options to apply for the universality criterion and be part of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The list highlights the Central American countries of Nicaragua and El Salvador, as their surfing tradition is well-known and this could tip the scales in their favor for the selection of one or more surfers.

According to Bob Fasulo, the ISA's executive director, the countries that wish to apply for this criterion will be those countries that had eight or fewer athletes in Tokyo 2020, another point in favor of the Central American countries.

The qualification slots for Paris 2024 have been increased from 20 to 24 athletes; these extra spots will be filled through the universality quota. The ISA and the IOC will be responsible for determining which athletes will be selected for this Olympic benefit.

The list of countries by continent is as follows:

America
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba
Bermuda
Belize
Cayman Islands
Dominica
El Salvador
Grenade
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
British Virgin Islands
Saint Lucia
Nicaragua
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Surinam
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

AFRICA
Burundi
Benin
Burkina Faso
Central African Republic
Congo
Chad
Comoros
Cape Verde
Djibouti
Gabon
Gambia
Guinea-Bissau
Equatorial Guinea
Guinea
Libya
Liberia
Lesotho
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mozambique
Mauritania
Nigeria
Rwanda
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Togo
Zambia

Asia
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
Iraq
Kuwait
Laos
Lebanon
Maldives
Myanmar
Nepal
Oman
Palestine
Syria
East Timor
Yemen

Europe
Albania
Andorra
Iceland
Liechtenstein
North Macedonia
Malta
Montenegro
San Marino

Oceania
American Samoa
Cook Island
Federated States of Micronesia
Guam
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Nauru
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu