Surfing

A water sport where an individual rides the forward face of a moving wave using a surfboard. Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, known as a surfer, uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water. The wave usually carries the surfer towards the shore. While surfing most commonly takes place in the ocean, it can also be done in artificial wave pools, on rivers (river surfing), and in the wakes of boats (wakesurfing).

Yes, surfing is officially recognized as an Olympic sport. It was formally approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to bring a more youthful and dynamic appeal to the Games.

As of 2024, surfing has been featured in two Olympic Games. It made its historic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (which were held in 2021 due to the pandemic) and returned for the Paris 2024 Olympics, where the surfing events were held in Teahupo'o, Tahiti. It is also confirmed for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

In the Olympics, surfers compete in a series of multi-person heats. They are not judged on the number of waves they catch, but rather the quality of their rides. A panel of judges scores each wave from 0.1 to 10.0 based on criteria like commitment, degree of difficulty, innovative and progressive maneuvers, combination of major maneuvers, and speed, power, and flow. A surfer’s top two wave scores are combined to create their heat total.

Surfing was officially approved by the IOC in 2016 to be included in the Olympic program, and it officially debuted as a competitive medal event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Huntington Beach, California, holds the official, registered trademark for "Surf City USA." The city won a highly publicized legal battle against Santa Cruz, California, in 2008 to secure the exclusive rights to the nickname, backed by its long history of hosting major surf competitions like the US Open of Surfing.