As the Olympic Winter Games open next month, the world will once again be reminded of what the Olympics represent: excellence, preparation, and legacy. After they conclude, the torch travels to our backyard in 2028. The Olympic rings will be front and center at Lower Trestles, in our region, for two weeks of Olympic surfing competition. The global spotlight will be on Southern California — the beating heart of American surfing.
But, an ongoing debate about the future of surfing governance clouds the promise of this moment.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), responsible for certifying one national governing body for each Olympic sport, has strongly considered putting surfing governance in the hands of a winter sports organization with zero surfing experience. While that organization withdrew late last year, it left the door open to another bid in the future. Then in December, USOPC delayed the governance decision for five months. This came at precisely the time American surfers enter a critical stretch in the Olympic qualifying pathway – all without knowing who represents them.
I have been working to ensure USOPC follows federal law and places the sport’s future in the hands of the most qualified, experienced organization – one committed to reinvesting this moment in surfing and one that captures the spirit of relevant federal law and the Olympic Charter: USA Surfing.
USA Surfing, based in San Clemente, has helped develop many of the athletes currently competing and winning on the world stage. It governs all International Surfing Association-recognized disciplines and is deeply embedded in the communities, clubs, coaches, and industry that sustain the sport. Having an intimate understanding of the Olympic venue, the athletes who compete, and what it takes to ensure surfers’ success is incredibly important.
However, each month of USOPC uncertainty delays sponsorships, coaching plans, medical support, travel logistics, and performance infrastructure. Preparation time lost today cannot be recovered later. We should be seizing hometown advantage, not ceding it.
Delays already have real consequences for our region. Uncertainty has slowed plans for critical investments in athlete training and safety, as well as environmental stewardship programs tied directly to Lower Trestles. These are tangible investments that would create jobs, support local businesses, grow the surf economy, and build a pipeline for kids who dream of paddling out at the same break they watch on television.
We need to stop stalling and certify a governing body that puts surfers first and converts Olympic attention into a lasting legacy with significant investments for the region. The 1984 Los Angeles Games did just this, turning a few weeks of competition into generations of opportunity for youth sports. Olympic surfing at Lower Trestles should follow that model: pairing global exposure with lasting local impact.
The surf community is united on this point. Professional and amateur surfers, coaches, industry leaders, coastal cities, and international governing bodies have rallied around a single vision: a surf-led, athlete-first organization rooted where the sport actually lives. That vision aligns squarely with the federal Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, which requires sport-specific governance and athlete protections. With only one qualified applicant remaining, the path forward should be clear.
When Olympic surfing comes to Orange County, the economic impact won’t just be measured in hotel nights and broadcast hours. It will be measured by whether local kids can access coaching, whether community programs are strengthened, whether our surf industry, from shapers to retailers to coastal environmental groups, are included and reinvested in, and whether a legacy is grown here long after the Olympic flame is extinguished.
Related Articles
California’s once soaring population has hit a plateau. So will its national political clout Sanctuary policies broke the system – but federal overreach won’t solve the problem California is far from reaching its recycling target — and that’s OK Trump’s embrace of economic leftism will destroy his legacy Keep your politics out of my sports With the right leadership, Olympic surfing will allow the world to finally see what our region has known for generations: this coastline is one of California’s greatest treasures and the natural arena for our official state sport. Los Angeles 2028 will mark the first time Olympic surfing is staged at the center of the global surf industry, on one of the most iconic high-performance waves on earth, with fans from around the world lining our shore.As the Winter Games begin this February, they remind us that Olympic success is built years in advance, through clarity, investment, and respect for athletes. Southern California and surfing deserve the same commitment. If we get this right, Olympic surfing won’t just be a moment on our shoreline — it will be a legacy.
And when the final heat is surfed and the rings come down at Lower Trestles, surfers young and old paddling out along our coast should know these Games were built with them in mind and that surfing’s Olympic moment left something meaningful behind.
Mike Levin represents California’s 49th congressional district.
Hence then, the article about mike levin olympic surfing must put surfers first was published today ( ) and is available on The Orange County Register ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Mike Levin: Olympic surfing must put surfers first )
Also on site :