Certification Clears the Path for American Surfing's Next Big Chapter: the LA28 Olympic Games at USA Surfing’s Home Break, Lower Trestles
SAN CLEMENTE, CA (April 15, 2026)—The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) today certified USA Surfing as the National Governing Body (NGB) for Olympic surfing in the United States, unlocking what every American surfer, coach, and coastal community has been working toward: a fully resourced, surfer-led Olympic program competing at home for the LA28 Olympic Games at Lower Trestles.
USA Surfing arrives at this moment ready, with a committed high-performance investment, a surfer-built talent pipeline that has helped produce back-to-back Olympic gold medals. The team will hit the ground running with the full support of the sport's international federation, the International Surfing Association (ISA), the World Surf League (WSL), top professional surfers and former Olympians, the surf industry, and an unprecedented bipartisan coalition of elected leaders.
“Being formally certified as the National Governing Body is a tremendous honor and immense responsibility,” Rob Pendergist, Board Chair, USA Surfing. “This milestone is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our athletes, staff, board, and the entire surf community. Our commitment to this great sport has never been stronger. In partnership with the USOPC, we look forward to delivering the Olympic legacy that surfers, the coastal communities, and everyone who stood behind this process deserve."
A PIPELINE TO PODIUM PROGRAM
Hawaiian power surfer Gabriela Bryan is currently ranked number one as the World Surf League season continues in Australia this week. She competed on the Gold Medal ISA World Surfing Games team and is a two-time USA Surfing junior champion. "I was twelve years old when I first competed at Lower Trestles in a USA Surfing Championship — I had no idea I was standing on what would become the Olympic stage. USA Surfing gave us the pipeline, the national championships, the pathway to the world stage. Now we're coming full circle, representing our country right there at Lowers, backed by the organization that invested in us from the beginning. That's incredibly exciting news."
"Every Olympic medal U.S. surfers have won so far has come through USA Surfing's pipeline and this coaching culture,” Brett Simpson, surfing's first Olympic Head Coach and USA Surfing Board Member. “You’re seeing that right now with Gabriela Bryan, a USA Surfing alum, who is starting the WSL CT season ranked number one in the world. With the resources this certification unlocks, we're leveling up a system surfers already trust and delivering the world-class support these athletes have always deserved."
From junior national Prime Series competitions along the East and West coasts to ISA World Championships in El Salvador and Peru, USA Surfing has been the organization through which America's greatest competitive surfers have progressed and shone for decades.
USA Surfing has committed to a significant high-performance investment from 2026 through 2028, covering 64 athletes across all six ISA disciplines, qualifying competitions, domestic and international training, Olympic-specific preparation at Lower Trestles, and cutting-edge coaching and data analysis, and wave pool training sessions.
That investment builds on two years of organizational momentum that has already transformed what USA Surfing delivers to athletes:
WHAT CERTIFICATION UNLOCKS
"Today’s certification makes way for new investment and momentum to flow directly to surfers and the communities that built surfing's talent pipeline,” said Becky Fleischauer, CEO, USA Surfing. “With Lower Trestles as the LA28 venue and the full weight of an NGB behind our surfers, we are ready to deliver the most celebrated chapter in the history of American surfing. Every surfer, from the development pipeline to the Olympic podium, will feel the lift."
NGB certification opens the door to new and bigger sponsorship, licensing, and partnership agreements. These will fund athlete development programs, high-performance coaching infrastructure, and community-facing initiatives designed to ensure that the economic and cultural lift of LA28 flows back into American surfing at every level.
“We are pleased that the progress made under USA Surfing’s new leadership and approach has led to recertification as a National Governing Body,” said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. “The obligation of an NGB is significant, and we thank USA Surfing’s leadership for their engagement throughout the process, and for the work still ahead. We look forward to a collaborative partnership to serve these world-class athletes and deliver on the promise of this great sport at LA28 and beyond.”
This certification will be effective starting June 1, 2026. The USOPC's NGB certification process often requires a period of structured onboarding to fully meet the comprehensive standards required of a member of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. That is what it did today for USA Surfing. "Certified with Conditions" is an established and frequently used determination within this framework.
The LA28 Olympic Games surfing competition held at Lower Trestles will be one of the most-watched sporting events in the history of surfing, and it will happen in USA Surfing's backyard, San Clemente. This coastal community has been home to USA Surfing and the heartbeat of American competitive surfing for decades. In 2028, it will be the global face of surf culture, as it warmly welcomes the world.
THE COALITION THAT MADE THIS POSSIBLE
USA Surfing's certification reflects not only years of organizational work, but also the voices of an extraordinary and unprecedented coalition that kept the focus on what was best for surfers, surfing, and the communities that live and breathe surfing.
From Capitol Hill — led by Rep. Mike Levin, who represents the region that will host Olympic surfing in 2028 — to Sacramento, where Assemblywoman Laurie Davies rallied more than 20 California state legislators from both parties, to city and county leaders up and down the California coast, elected officials spoke with a unified and bipartisan voice in support of USA Surfing. A full list of elected supporters is included in the addendum below.
Peter 'PT' Townend, surfing’s first world pro champion and a lifelong advocate for surfer-led governance played a starring role in rallying support for USA Surfing’s NGB application. A “Surf City USA” Huntington Beach resident who has devoted decades to growing the sport as a multiple time coach of USA Surfing’s ISA Championship teams, and through the International Surfing Museum and NSSA competitions, PT has watched the Olympic era of surfing arrive, and has been outspoken that its stewardship must remain in surfers' hands.
"It took 100 years to get surfing into the Olympics. Duke Kahanamoku dreamed it; generations of surfers and ISA leadership willed and worked it into reality. Now Olympic surfing will be hosted right here in California, where surfing is the state sport, and it will be governed by the organization that has always been here: USA Surfing. I could not be more proud to see surfing where it belongs, run by people who know it, love it, and live it.,” Townend said.
ABOUT USA SURFING
USA Surfing, Inc. is the International Surfing Association (ISA)-recognized national federation for the sport of surfing in the United States and, as of today, the USOPC-certified National Governing Body for Olympic and Paralympic surfing. Based in San Clemente, California — home of the LA28 Olympic surfing venue at Lower Trestles — USA Surfing develops and supports American surfers across all competitive disciplines, including Olympic shortboard, para surfing, longboard, stand-up paddling, prone paddling, and bodyboarding. USA Surfing's alumni include back-to-back Olympic gold medalists, ISA World Champions, and a deep roster of American surfers currently competing on the 2026 WSL Championship Tour. For more information, visit usasurfing.org.
ADDENDUM LIST OF SUPPORTERS
ELECTED LEADERS
United States Congress
U.S. Representative Mike Levin (CA-49) · U.S. Representative Darrell Issa (CA-48) · U.S. Representative Scott H. Peters · U.S. Representative J. Luis Correa · U.S. Representative Juan Vargas · U.S. Representative Dave Min · U.S. Representative Ted W. Lieu (CA-26) · U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (CA) · U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (CA) · U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (HI)
Governor Josh Green, Hawaii
California State Legislature
Assemblywoman Laurie Davies (District 74) · Senator Catherine Blakespear (District 38) · Assemblyman Chris Ward · Senator Brian Jones (District 40) · Assemblywoman Darshana Patel (District 76) · Senator Tony Strickland (District 36) · Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (District 73) · Senator Kelly Seyarto (District 32) · Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (District 67) · Senator Steven Choi (District 37) · Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal (District 69) · Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez (District 71) · Assemblyman Phillip Chen (District 59) · Assemblyman Tri Ta (District 70) · Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (District 75) · Assemblywoman Diane Dixon (District 72) · Assemblyman David Alvarez (District 80) · Assemblywoman Blanca Pacheco (District 64) · Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (District 66) · Assemblyman Greg Wallis (District 47) · Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez (District 36)
City and County Officials
Mayor Rick Loeffler and the San Clemente City Council, host city of the LA28 Olympic surfing venue at Lower Trestles · Mayor Pat Burns and the Huntington Beach City Council · Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Los Angeles County · Supervisor Katrina Foley, Vice Chair, Orange County Board of Supervisors (5th District) · Mayor Esther C. Sanchez, City of Oceanside · Mayor John Franklin, City of Vista · Mayor Chris Pimentel and Councilman Drew Boyles, City of El Segundo
SURF GOVERNANCE AND INDUSTRY LEADERS
The global surfing community has spoken with one voice. Support for USA Surfing's certification spans the sport's most authoritative institutions:
Fernando Aguerre, ISA President: "The ISA strongly believes that a healthy, independent organization that truly represents the interests of surfers and the sport in the U.S. is essential as we look ahead to the LA28 Olympic Games and beyond. That organization is USA Surfing."
WSL CEO Ryan Crosby: "USA Surfing has been critical in supporting U.S. surfers, putting in real, hands-on work to provide resources and development opportunities. The trust they've built with surfers and the broader community speaks for itself. We believe their continued leadership is essential in shaping the sport's future and the next generation of Team USA athletes."
2021 and 2024 U.S. Olympic teammates: "Surfers must have a strong voice and receive proper world-class support to improve and achieve peak performances. This is best achieved through USA Surfing as the National Governing Body."
Vipe Desai, Executive Director, Surf Industry Members Association: "Every pillar of the surf community — our athletes, our industry, our international surf federation — stands behind USA Surfing."
U.S. Boardriders Clubs: "We represent the core of American surfing — our members are the heartbeat of the sport. We fully support USA Surfing's leadership as the NGB because it understands, represents, and develops the future of U.S. surfing excellence."
Additional support has come from ISA medalists, WSL professionals, junior athletes, para surfers, longboarders, SUP racers, coaches, parents, and the surf industry across every competitive discipline and every corner of the country. The full list can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17nKtHhXLGW61rb6Yp8N7orTfos0GCXTW/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102632899425123280915&rtpof=true&sd=true
Your support can help us amplify American surfing. Discover how you can contribute and be part of our mission today.
