Olympic Channel Partnership Pivotal for Surfing Association

(ATR) As surfing strives to find its identity within the Olympic Movement in anticipation of the sport’s debut in Tokyo 2020, ISA president Fernando Aguerre says joining forces with the Olympic Channel will bring numerous benefits.

The International Surfing Association last week became the 52nd sport federation or organization to partner with the Olympic Channel since the multi-digital platform launched at the Rio 2016 Games.

Kicking off the new partnership, the Olympic Channel will live stream coverage of the upcoming 2017 ISA World Surfing Games from Biarritz, France, May 20-28, in addition to other ISA events along the ride to Tokyo 2020.

"It really enhances the event and makes it visible for a viewership that maybe we were not reaching," Aguerre tells Around the Rings. "It provides cool, different content for the Olympic Channel. I know they have interest in surfing as an important part reaching out to the youngest consumers and viewers."

"It’s an incredible opportunity for both parties," Aguerre adds. "There is a lot of excitement in the surfing world about the Olympic opportunity and this is one of the first material, visceral consequences of that arrival of surfing in the Olympics."

Olympic Channel general manager Mark Parkman says that the new partnership is another key step for building the sport’s global audience in the lead-up to the Tokyo 2020 Games.

"We look forward to working with the International Surfing Association to introduce their sport and athletes to a broader audience," Parkman said. "As we look ahead to Tokyo 2020, viewers are sure to be fascinated by the stories of these athletes who push their limits against one of nature’s most powerful elements."

Aguerre believes that the Olympic Channel will not only showcase skilled surfers strutting their best stuff in the water, but also capture the sport’s festive atmosphere and lifestyle attributes on land.

"We believe that it’s not just about the surfing competition, but everything else happening in the spirit of surfing," says the Argentine-born surfing chief.

"You’ll see the social activities and the interaction between the teams on the beach. You’ll see athletes mingle and mix with the fans on the beach and also the fans in the water. It is more like a youth festival."

Aguerre says the sky is the limit when it comes to potential technological toys and gadgets that could enhance the overall viewer experience of the traditional beach lifestyle sport.

"There will be a lot more live drones used in coverage – viewers of the webcast will get to see a point of view that spectators on the beach cannot see," Aguerre notes.

"We’ll also see smaller GPS-driven devices that will help the judges and enhance the broadcast for the viewers," he said. "The amount of yards surfed and just a lot of information. This already exists, but we hope to include it on the live broadcasts."

At the World Surfing Games in France, competitors will represent their countries, riding waves in quest of team gold at the sport’s flagship event. Biarritz, tucked on France’s southwest coast, is a world-renowned surf destination with a storied tradition within the sport. The chic French seaside resort last hosted the marquee event in 1980.

Aguerre believes that with many of the world’s top surfing pros taking part, the event will offer a sneak peak of the beach festival style of competition that will be prevalent at Tokyo 2020.

"There will be water cameras, beach cameras and drone cameras, as well as interviews with athletes and fans on the beach," Aguerre said.

Brazil and France have unveiled star-studded teams for the event, including French top-ranked female surfer Johanne Defay and 2009 ISA World Surfing Games champion Jeremy Flores, as well as Brazil’s Miguel Pupo.

Afghanistan and China will also field surfing teams for the first time at a major international event.

"We are expecting to comfortably pass the amount of nations we have competing at the World Surfing Games," Aguerre said. "This is obviously partly because of the impact and visibility of surfing being in the Olympic Games, even three years before."

Aguerre hints that other cool and innovative projects are in the works in cooperation with the Olympic Channel, including a world premiere with exclusive footage of an epic day of surfing in Portugal involving massive waves of 20-25 meters.

"We’ll have more of these cultural events surrounding the sport," Aguerre says. "This one was very impressive."

Stay tuned!

Written by Brian Pinelli

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