Longboarding Cut from LA 2028 Olympics in Major Blow to Surfing

Longboarding culture runs deep into the fascia of surfing's history. The sport is rooted in Hawaiian culture, emerging as a sport in the early 1900s. Polynesian people used long wooden boards for wave riding, called "olo," dating back to as early as the 8th century. In the 1920s, Duke Kahanamoku popularized longboarding in California, with boards measuring 10-15 feet in length.

Longboarding Out at LA 2028 Summer Olympic Games

The board designs favored stability over maneuverability. In the 1950s, the use of Balsa wood and fiberglass revolutionized the sport. This evolution allowed nose-riding and smoother gliding. Longboarding dominated surfing in the 1960s, and surfing legends Miki Dora and Phil Edwards showed off their graceful skills on a longboard.

Longboarding had a resurgence in the 1990s, and today, longboarding remains a strong subculture in the surfing hemisphere. Longboarding is all about flow; this style is the yin to the aggressive, erratic style of shortboarding's high-energy tricks.

The ISA pitched longboarding as a new event within surfing, requiring no additional venues or facilities, since most sites could host short and longboarding events. The proposal included event spacing for 16 males and 16 females, due to the sport's equal gender participation.

The sport also had a huge presence at the ISA World Championships and the World Surf League's (WSL) 4-stop Longboard Tour. The IOC has a strict 10,500-athlete cap for core sports. With only 40 slots available, 24 different sports require 772 more slots. Cricket and flag football took an additional 698 slots. Unfortunately, this put longboarding on the sidelines for the 2028 Olympics.

Longboarding's recent resurgence has gained a following. The global reach of the sport is undeniable. The WSL adopted the sport into its competition, showcasing the growing interest in the sport from around the globe. This move by the Olympic committee only hurts the sport by taking away global exposure on a grand scale, stunting sponsorship growth, and mainstream recognition.

This is something that the Olympics could have brought to longboarding. It would have been the ideal location to introduce the sport, as California is part of longboarding's history. The ISA remains committed to advocating for longboarding's inclusion in future Games.