In May of next year, the world’s best national surfing teams will descend on Biarritz, a world-renowned surfing destination located on France’s south-west coast, to compete for gold in the ISA's flagship tournament.

This year's edition of the Games took place between August 6 and 14 in Playa Jacó in Costa Rica.

The event was one of the most successful editions ever, as hundreds of thousands of spectators came to see 142 surfers from 26 countries compete as Peru emerged victorious.

The World Surfing Games were last held in Biarritz in 1980, when legendary American surfer Tom Curren launched his successful career by taking the gold medal in the junior division.

Since 2003, the junior division has become a separate entity, with this year's ISA World Junior Surfing Championships currently taking place here in the Azores.

Surfing was added to the Olympic sports programme for Tokyo 2020 in August, after decades of ISA campaigning underpinned by a strategy of global growth and development.

The World Surfing Games have been held in a diverse range of countries in recent years, including Nicaragua in 2015, Peru in both 2010 and 2014 and Portugal in both 1998 and 2008. 

"I’m very happy to see the return of our flagship event back to Europe," said ISA President Fernando Aguerre.

"France is a great surfing destination and Biarritz, in particular, is a wonderful coastal city transformed by surfing in the last decades.

"The best surfers in the world will be participating as members of their official national surfing teams and it will be a perfect place to showcase our sport on the road to Tokyo 2020.

“With athletes competing for the pride of representing their nations in true Olympic spirit, the ISA World Surfing Games are a glimpse into the future of Olympic Surfing that we will witness at Tokyo 2020.”

Jean-Luc Arassus, the President of the French Surfing Federation, added:  “The ISA World Surfing Games are an excellent platform to display the world-class waves and beauty of France’s south-west coastline. 

"We are looking forward to welcoming the visiting national teams to experience the waves, the surfing culture and hospitality that our country has to offer.

“With Tokyo 2020 on the horizon these are exciting times for surfing. 

"We look forward to welcoming some of the best surfers in the world and potentially the sport’s first ever Olympians at what will be a wonderful festival of surfing."

The exact dates of the competition in Biarritz have not been confirmed.