Usa Surfing - Not Ski Federation - should oversee olympic surfing

U.S. surfing’s Olympic future is at risk if control is shifted from USA Surfing to U.S. Ski & Snowboard, with the move violating federal law, threatening athletes’ rights, and jeopardizing Team USA’s place in LA28. As a bipartisan Californian, Laurie Davies stands with surfing.

By Assemblywoman Laurie Davies in San Clemente Times

Competitive surfing is in danger of losing its governing body to an entity that has nothing to do with surfing. I recently became aware of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s (USOPC) effort to allow U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) to apply as the new authority to oversee U.S. surfing.

As a proud representative of a community known for hundreds of surf champions and world-class beaches for competition, I am standing with dozens of other elected officials in opposition to this effort.

This action would violate federal law and the Olympic Charter. These actions threaten the future of American surfing, undermine athletes’ rights, risk barring U.S. surfers from the LA28 Olympics and set a troubling precedent for the governance of all Olympic sports in the U.S.

This move would deny the California surfing community its rightful place in the LA28 Olympics and beyond.

It would sideline USA Surfing and its athletes, the International Surfing Association (ISA)-recognized U.S. federation for all surf disciplines (shortboard, longboard, para, SUP/ prone), and put surfing’s Olympic future in jeopardy.

Federal law and the Olympic Charter are designed to ensure that each sport in the U.S. is governed by a steward and expert organization with deep ties to its community and athletes. This structure, practiced for decades, safeguards fair play, athlete development and accountability.

The unprecedented move by the USOPC is gaming the National Governing Body (NGB) certification process in violation of the Ted Stevens Act to hand Olympic commercial rights for surfing to USSS — a winter NGB with no surf lineage, no history of governance and a different International Federation.

The Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act specifically forbids any NGB from overseeing more than one Olympic sport or representing multiple international federations. Because USSS is already the designated NGB for skiing and snowboarding, it is legally barred from taking over governance of surfing.

USOPC bylaws require every NGB to be recognized by the international federation for its sport. Only USA Surfing holds International Surfing Association recognition, making it the sole qualified NGB for Olympic surfing. If the USOPC installs USSS as the governing body, Team USA could be shut out of Olympic surfing at LA28. Even if accepted, every U.S. Olympic surfer risks their LA28 medals being stripped away due to Olympic Charter noncompliance.

USSS already manages 10 winter sports and has no surf competition infrastructure, no dedicated surf coaches and no connections to the athlete development pipeline. They have also applied to become the NGB for the sport of skateboarding.

The decision would divert LA28 opportunities and revenues away from the California surfing community that invests in talent development, valuable sponsorships, local stewardship and a thriving economy throughout Southern California. The global surf community has united behind USA Surfing, calling on the USOPC to ensure that Olympic surfing remains in the hands of those who know and live the sport.

This effort could have a detrimental effect on the welfare and performance the athletes. International Surfing Association athletes are cared for by Hoag Health doctors and the team physician in California. Detaching a few Olympians from the development pipeline breaks continuity of care (medical,safety, coaching) and weakens longterm U.S. performance.

Far-reaching impacts would affect the local economy and community.

With LA28 on U.S. soil, this is the prime moment to reinvest in the sport (e.g., a Hoag High-Performance center) rather than export rights to an outof-state winter governing body.

Lastly, it puts the integrity of sport at risk. The USOPC has a federal duty to develop sport and protect athletes’ rights. By allowing governance by a different organization, they are prioritizing a harmful commercial carveout at the expense of the sport and athletes.

USA Surfing, the representative for surfing in the U.S., has formally submitted an athlete-centered application to regain certification as the National Governing Body for Olympic Surfing.

A decades-long commitment to athlete development that contributed to back-to-back Olympic gold medals, USA Surfing and its application is supported by the International Surf Association, Olympic surfers, the World Surf League, the U.S. Boardriders Clubs, Surf Industry Members Association (SIMA) and top American talent.

I am leading a bipartisan delegation that is requesting fair and equal consideration of USA Surfing’s application as the logical governing body for surfing. Our community needs to come together on this important effort.

Laurie Davies is a small business owner and former mayor who was elected to the State Assembly in 2020 and reelected in 2022 and 2024. She represents the 74th Assembly District, which includes San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, and San Juan Capistrano in South Orange County — down through Camp Pendleton, and Oceanside, Vista and part of Fallbrook in North San Diego County. SC