• Loading stock data...
Thursday, July 3, 2025

Surfing Thrills in 2024 Olympics, but Faces Funding Hurdles Until 2028

  • Surfing’s international organization won’t get the same millions as other Olympic sports until the next Summer Games.
  • The IOC distributed between $13 million and $39 million among sports federations after Tokyo.
Teahupo'o Tahiti Surfing
Manea Fabisch / Tahiti Tourisme

Surfing in Tahiti has proved to be one of the most captivating parts of the 2024 Olympics, from Colin Jost’s ongoing medical crises to a viral shot of a surfer suspended in midair.

But for all the buzz it’s creating, surfing still doesn’t get a full share of media-rights revenue, and it won’t until the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The international federations of the different Olympic sports, known as the ASOIF, or Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, all receive a cut of revenue from broadcast rights at the Games. The total pot was $540 million in Rio and Tokyo, and the ASOIF asked the International Olympic Committee for at least $596 million in Paris. It’s a fair ask, because the IOC made $3.1 billion in TV rights from the Tokyo Games. More popular sports like swimming, track, and gymnastics get a bigger cut (World Athletics got $39 million after Tokyo), and revenue is divvied up by tiers down to the least popular sports (rugby, golf, and modern pentathlon got $12.98 million apiece from Tokyo).

None of the new sports in Tokyo received any of the broadcast revenue because they were added through a new, expedited process, according to surfing magazine The Inertia. But the International Surfing Association got only $2.7 million from the IOC to carry it over from Tokyo to Paris, The Inertia reported. That’s at least a step up from the “hundreds of thousands” of dollars the federation made before its Olympic debut, its president Fernando Aguerre told Bloomberg.

Ahead of Paris, the ASOIF amended its rules in 2022 so that full members (those who receive broadcast revenue) need to have competed in the three more recent Summer Games. That set back surfing’s share of the rights to 2028.

The sport will now enter another multiyear stretch when it’s technically an Olympic sport but doesn’t get the same resources. Compare that to FIFA, which on top of its ASOIF cash injection from the Olympics, will get broadcast revenue from the men’s and women’s World Cups and Club World Cups. Surfing’s deals with NBCUniversal and Globo aren’t quite as lucrative.

“We will continue to do the best we can with the modest resources at our disposal to self-fund the organization, but at least we have the certainty that at the LA28 Olympics we will be part of the revenue distribution, which is important,” Aguerre told The Inertia in the fall.

At Home in Cali

The next Games should also be the first time surfers get a traditional Olympic experience. Team USA surfer John John Florence told Front Office Sports his team didn’t stay in the Olympic Village in Tokyo due to distance, and Tahiti is nearly 10,000 miles from Paris, with surfers shacked up in local residents’ homes or aboard a cruise ship. 

Given Southern California’s multitude of surfing options, including World Surf League favorite Lower Trestles in San Clemente, Calif., it’s likely surfers will finally join the festivities in 2028.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Crest Surf Clubs
exclusive

New York Private Surf Club Wants to Raise $45M, Charge $100K

The average membership fee for Crest is $20,000 a year.
Michael Johnson

Grand Slam Track Still Owes Athletes $13 Million: Source

The new track league hasn’t paid athletes in full yet.
exclusive

WNBA Players Reject League’s First CBA Offer

Players felt the initial proposal wasn’t “entirely responsive” to their request.

NHL to Rejoin Olympic Ice in Milan—and NBC Set to Cash In

NHL players last competed in the Olympics in 2014.

Featured Today

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”
June 29, 2025

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.
June 27, 2025

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.
Sophie Cunningham

WNBA Expansion Decisions Show League Prioritizes North, NBA Ties

One player ripped the league for its geographic choices.
Red Panda
July 2, 2025

Red Panda Hospitalized After WNBA Halftime Fall

The beloved performer was taken off the court in a wheelchair.
exclusive
July 2, 2025

PGA Tour Slashes FedEx Cup Winner Pay From $25M to $10M

The FedExCup is reworking how it distributes its bonus money.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
July 1, 2025

WNBA Roster Limits Under Fire After Vanloo’s Valkyries Release

Kaitlyn Chen remains on the Valkyries roster.
July 1, 2025

LIV Golf CEO Pushes Back On PGA Tour Merger

Scott O’Neil said there could be new opportunities for the Tour’s players.
July 1, 2025

New Philadelphia Arena Was Key to City’s Successful WNBA Bid

The forthcoming team will play in a new arena in South Philadelphia.
July 1, 2025

NBA Salary Cap Up 7% in 2026–27, but Teams Expected More

The 2026–27 salary cap is projected at $165 million.