Two Californian cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles, are considered favourites for potential nomination from the four possibilities, with the others being Boston and Washington D.C.

"If the US bids for the 2024 Olympics, and if it were to go to either Los Angeles or San Francisco it would be perfect for surfing," Aguerre, co-founder of the Reef sports range, who was born and raised in the coastal city of Mar del Plata but is now resident in the Californian coastal city of San Diego, told insidethegames.

"Although surfing started in Polynesia, it arrived throughout the world via California, we can pretty much say that surfing is California.

It's a global sport, but the soul of surfing is Californian, when you think of California you think of Hollywood, of endless sunny days, and of course, you think of surfing."

Sam the Eagle, mascot of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, parades during the Opening Ceremony. Another California Olympics would do nicely as far as surfing's Olympic ambitions are concerned ©Getty Images

Aguerre added: "Man-made wave technology is the single most important game-changer for us if we want to gain Olympic status.

"This means we are no longer dependent on nature to create the waves necessary for competition - we can determine the size of the waves, and the timing of the competition, which is essential in terms of ticketing and TV.

"Ten years ago Olympic ambitions would not have been realistic, but now people who have never even been to the ocean will have the opportunity to surf on consistent, high-performance waves."

Aguerre was heartened by the swiftness with which the Agenda 2020 proposals encouraged by International Olympic Committee's (IOC) President Thomas Bach were taken on board by members at the IOC Session in Monaco.

"With regards to how the sport programme will be determined going forward, I think the most important thing for us is that the President now has more flexibility to focus on events versus sports within some limits and based on the input from the International Federation and the Organising Committees," Aguerre said. 

"There are no more core sports and the previous limits are now less rigid.

"Based on the discussion and questions in the session, I think we are all interested to see how this will work in practice, but it is clear the President has a very strong mandate to move forward in implementing these changes.

"A very important change is that the old cap on 28 sports - which are really 28 sports federations - is over, but I'm not sure of the how the Olympic Charter will operate now.

"President Bach explained that if the organisers would agree to cover any additional costs for a new event, even if this means over 10,500 athletes, the IOC would probably look at this and might agree for the new event.

"When proposals mentioned the new cap of 10,500 athletes, it used the word 'approximately.'"

IOC President Thomas Bach - pictured at the Closing Ceremony of this year's Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing - achieved an 'impeccable' response at the recent Agenda 2020 Session in Monaco - but ISA President Fernando Aguerre believes more details on how changes will operate may be required ©Getty Images


"But to be included, an event has to be from a sport that meets all the relevant criteria for the IOC.

"There were questions on this from Princess Haya and the Princess Royal - about exactly how this will operate, and how it was going to be rolled out.

"So was I excited by Agenda 2020 - yes, and are the decisions agreed positive ones - yes.

"But do we know how they will be enacted - no."

For the full exclusive interview with Fernando Aguerre, click here.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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