Mick Fanning’s New Wave Pool Could Host Olympic Surfing

Surfing, still a new entity in the age-old history of the Olympics, is going through some growing pains. With only two Olympic appearances in the books – Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 – the results have been somewhat mixed. Tokyo? Pretty meh. Paris? Moments of total excellence.

Duke Kahanamoku’s dream, which originated over 100 years ago, of having surfing in the Olympic Games has finally become a reality. But it wasn’t without debate and controversy.

Before Tokyo 2020, there was a strong push to hold the surfing portion of the event in a wave pool. But alas, it was held in the ocean – to the consternation of some, and the liking of others.

The waves, however, were lackluster at best. Not the best Olympic debut. Then came Paris 2024, where surfing was held at Teahupo’o, Tahiti; surfing was redeemed; there were two days of some of the best, most perilous Chopes imaginable; the non-surfing world finally saw the potential.

But now, there’s a possible push, once again, to bring the Games to the pool. The folks behind the pool – which is powered by Endless Surf, which we’ve seen in Germany at O2 SurfTown MUC – have hopes that the facility could be used during the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

Oh, yeah, and they’ve got a huge backer behind the project, too: Mick Fanning.