THE ISA OLYMPIC MOVEMENT

Olympic Surfing Committee

The mission of this committee is to include surfing into the Olympic Games. The goals of this committee are to lobby and to get political support in favor of surfing.

Surfing's Olympic Chronology

October 2009 – ISA President Fernando Aguerre traveled to Copenhagen as an official participant in the Olympic Congress. He attended the very exciting announcement of Rio as host for the 2016 Summer Games. Aguerre had the opportunity to meet with many IOC members and other Olympic Movement leaders from all over the world. Read more.

                                       
ISA President Fernando Aguerre with IOC President Jaques Rogge at the Olympic Congress.

October 2008 - Surfing is included in the first annual, OAC sanctioned Asian Beach Games which takes place in Bali, Indonesia.

August 2008 - ISA President releases his document "Surfing in the Olympics", a widely circulated article that becomes a key piece in the ISA's path towards IOC Games and other multisport surfing inclusion. Read more.

June 2008 - ISA President attends SportAccord, where he makes the case for inclusion of Surfing in the Cultural, Education and/or Cultural Programs of the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games, and 2012 London Olympic Games.

October 2007 - ISA President attends the IF Forum in Lausanne, where he engages several IOC and IF officials in the desirability of surfing as an Olympic Sport.

January 2007 - The Executive Committee of the ISA replaces Maile Aguerre with ISA President Fernando Aguerre as ISA lead contact with the IOC and all other sports organizations around the world.

June 2004 - Maile H. Aguerre attended SportAccord in Lausanne, Switzerland, a joint convention of IWGA, ARISF and GAISF Meetings.

March 2004 - ISA awarded the 2004 IOC Presidents Trophy to the Team Australia, the winning team at the ISA World Surfing Games 2004 in Salinas, Ecuador.

December 2003 - The ISA signed the contract with WADA, conforming to the IOC's Anti-Doping Charter.

Throughout 2003, ISA worked with WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) to fulfill the IOC's requirements becoming a member of WADA. All documents were submitted to ISA's attorney for approval.

November 2003 - ISA filled out and submitted a re-evaluation document for the IOC records.

May 2003 - Maile H. Aguerre attended SportAccord in Madrid, Spain, where all of the different Sporting Associations meetings (GAISF, ARISF and IWGA) were combined into one. At this meeting, IOC President, Jacques Rogge told the recognized IF's not to spend money on lobbying, but instead on developing the sport. He also confirmed that the new IOC policy states that the IOC will review the Program after each Olympic Games, on which sports can or cannot be added. Finally, he confirmed that in order for one sport to get in, another must be removed.

December 2002 - Surfing was officially put on the South Pacific Games Program.

November 2002 - Maile H. Aguerre attended the GAISF Annual Meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado on behalf of the ISA.

October 2002 - Maile H. Aguerre met with Mr. Vazquez Raña, President of PASO (Pan American Sports Organization), in Mexico City to present the formal application for the sport of surfing to be recognized by PASO for both PASA (Pan-American Surf Association) and the ISA.

August 2002 - Maile H. Aguerre attended IOC's, ARISF's and IWGA's annual meetings in Lausanne, Switzerland. On this trip, the ISA received a letter saying that surfing would not be considered for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. The reason being that the ISA has not yet fulfilled the requirement of having 75 NGB's.

October 2001 - ISA Vice President, Jacques Hele attended the GAISF Congress and General Assembly in Singapore

April 1998 - ISA's Executive Director Mr. Cadu Villela visits the Italian Olympic Committee and the Portuguese Olympic Committee and gets support for our Olympic quest.

November 1997 - IOC requests two ISA flags, one for the IOC Headquarters and one for the IOC Museum.

September 1997 - IOC grants "outright recognition" to the ISA as a "Recognized Federation."

January 1997 - ISA produces a promotional video-tape about the World Surfing Games '96 and sends a copy of it to all IOC Members.

October 1996 - The International Surfing Association held it’s World Surfing Games October 5-13 in Huntington Beach, CA. The 1996 ISA World Surfing Games was the world's largest-ever surfing contest, featuring almost 600 competitors from 36 nations.
During this event, the President of the IOC, Mr. Samaranch, sends the "IOC President's Trophy" to be given to the winner of the competition. Furthermore, Mr. Samaranch sends an IOC Member, Mr. James Easton (from USA) to visit the event and make a report about it to the IOC. Mr. James Easton comes to the World Surfing Games, attends the Opening Ceremony and makes a very positive speech about surfing and the organization of the event.

August 1996 - Invitations are sent to International Olympic Committee members and United States Olympic Committee members, inviting them to attend the ISA World Surfing Games in October at Huntington Beach.

August 1996 - The Olympic "Questionnaire for admission" is completed and sent back to the International Olympic Committee.

June 1996 - IOC President Samaranch, at the conclusion of his June meeting with ISA Chairman Aguerre, unexpectedly announced the creation of a special "IOC President's Trophy" to be given to the team winner at the ISA World Surfing Games. He further directed IOC Sports Director Gilbert Felli or Pere Miro (IOC Deputy Sports Director) to attend the World Surfing Games' Opening Ceremony on October 5th and report back to IOC Headquarters.

June 1996 - ISA Chairman Aguerre concludes a historic meeting with IOC President Samaranch at IOC Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on June 13.  Aguerre met with Mr. Samaranch and IOC Sports Director, Gilbert Felli, for nearly one hour. Aguerre presented surfing's case for inclusion in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The IOC President indicated to Aguerre, referring to the ISA and surfing in Sydney, that the door is not closed yet.

May 1996 - Mr. Joao Havelange, President of FIFA (Federation Internationale Football Association-the world's largest sporting federation), becomes an ambassador for surfing, writing letters to Mr. Samaranch requesting he consider admitting surfing into the Olympic Games.

September 1995 - ISA reaches the decision to make a special donation to the IOC museum in honor of becoming a recognized federation.

June 1995 - The International Olympic Committee's Annual Congress ratifies the Executive Committee's decision officially recognizing the ISA as the International Federation for surfing and body boarding, thus formally welcoming the sports to the Olympic movement.

April 1995 - IOC Executive Committee grants provisional recognition to the International Surfing Association.

March 1995 - Aguerre rallies support of the U.S. surf industry and brings the ISA World Surfing Games to Huntington Beach, USA, as a consequence of the original host country, South Africa not being able to host the event.

August 1994 - ISA files application for recognition by the International Olympic Committee.

May 1994 - Fernando Aguerre is elected Chairman of the ISA and includes Olympic Surfing as part of the ISA's plan for the inclusion in the Sydney 2000 Olympics Games.

April 1994 - Lobbying continues for Surfing to become an Olympic sport. Jacques Hele attends several international sports meetings.

November 1992 - International Surfing Association (ISA) President Jacques Hele lobbies for surfing.