The oversized rashies used in the 2021 Olympic games aren’t even dry yet, and already talk has begun about the future direction of surfing as an Olympic sport. The poor conditions on offer in Japan providing the perfect opportunity for various artificial wave systems to argue that their pool may be a better option than relying on Mother Nature to produce not only good waves but a playing field with equal opportunities for the competitors.
In this clip, Mark Occhilupo, a brand ambassador for the plunger-based Surf Lakes pool, throws his weight behind Surf Lakes as the ideal venue for future Olympic events.
“It’s just great that you just know there’s going to be waves every time,” states the 1999 World Champ. “It makes it fair, the best surfer will win, where usually, you know, in the ocean luck is definitely in the equation.”
The point is further backed up by Occ’s son Jay.
“Having the Olympics in the wave pool will definitely become a test of skill instead of being a luck factor of whether or not you’re going to get a wave. In a tennis court, you don’t see tennis players having different conditions.”
Somewhere, the hair on the back of Bobby Martinez’s neck just stood up.
In all seriousness though, this argument does hold weight when the host country is incapable of producing exciting surf, or surf at all, which Japan barely avoided thanks to a well-timed typhoon. And even then, the newly opened Perfect Swell Wavepool would've been a far better option than what the competitors were served up.
However, when the Olympic surfing venue happens to be Teahupo’o, as it will be for the 2024 Paris games. There is nothing on God’s green Earth that could convince us that a wavepool is going to be a more entertaining option than watching competitors pushing over the ledge at solid Chopes. Should it come to pass, that would be hands-down the most exciting event of the whole games.
In 2028 it will be LA’s turn to host, and no doubt the surfing will be held at Trestles, which on its day is the closest thing to a skate park in the natural surfing world.
Then in 2032, it will be Brisbane, which opens up the points of the Gold Coast for competition.
So, while it might make sense for a pool to be used when, say, Kazakhstan gets their chance to hold the games, for the foreseeable future, it seems Olympic surfing will be just fine to remain in the ocean.
