Source: Japan's Kanoa Igarashi performs in the first round of the men's surfing competition on July 25 in Ichinomiya, Chiba Prefecture. (Francisco Seco/AP)

OLYMPIC DIGEST: Surfing Makes Dynamic Debut at Summer Games

Surfing is among four new sports added to the Olympic program for the Tokyo Games. The others are sport climbing, skateboarding and karate.

By JAPAN Forward

Surfing made its debut as an official Olympic sport on Sunday, July 25, benefitting from solid swells due to an approaching typhoon.

The surfing competition is being held at the Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach on the eastern shores of Chiba Prefecture. The venue is about a two-hour trip from Tokyo by train.

Surfing is among four new sports added to the Olympic program for the Tokyo Games. The others are sport climbing, skateboarding and karate.

The waves at Tsurigasaki aren’t normally known for their size, but the approaching typhoon may help produce some larger than normal swells.

Japan is well represented with U.S.-born Kanoa Igarashi and Hiroto Ohara in the men’s competition, while Mahina Maeda and Amuro Tsuzuki are competing in the women’s bracket.

Amuro Tsuzuki surfs in the women’s first round.

Japan’s medal hope Igarashi got off to a strong start on Sunday, finishing first in his heat, scoring a combined 12.77 points from his two best waves.

“That first wave was really special,” Igarashi said, according to Kyodo News. “Woke up with a lot of pressure, there’s four years leading up to this wave, but as soon as I got that first wave that turned into energy and motivation for me.”

After a 20-year campaign led by International Surfing Association President Fernando Aguerre, the IOC approved the inclusion of surfing in 2016.

Ohara finished 2.27 points behind Brazil’s gold medal favorite Italo Ferreira, who dominated the opening round by taking 15 waves, three more than anyone else. Ferreira finished the day with a high score of 13.67 points.

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