Today, nearly 300 of the best surfers in the world, representing 61 nations, gathered in Surf City El Salvador to celebrate the opening of the 2025 Surf City El Salvador International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games (WSG).
An excited buzz was present amongst the record number of competitors and large national representation as Surfing moves closer to the beginning of its third Olympic Games cycle.
22 Olympians were in attendance, including two of the winningest surfers in WSG history, four-time Gold Medalist and ISA World Junior Champion Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) and two-time Gold Medalist Leandro Usuna (ARG). Four additional ISA World Junior Champions also joined their national teams, Dane Henry (AUS), Rachel Presti (GER), Noah Klapp (GER), and Ignacio Gundesen (ARG). The reigning ISA U/18 Boys World Champion, Henry, is making his WSG debut.
The iconic ISA Sands of the World Ceremony saw representatives of each of the nations gathered pouring sand from their home beaches into one container as a symbol of the peaceful gathering of nations of the world through surfing.
Two new nations, Angola and Vanuatu, poured their sand and raised their flags at the WSG for the very first time. It is the first-ever ISA appearance for the West African nation of Angola, one of 20 member national federations from the continent. The Pacific island of Vanuatu returns to ISA competition following participation in an ISA Youth Development Program that took place in Fiji earlier this year.
ISA President, Fernando Aguerre said:
“It is my immense happiness to welcome all the teams, the athletes, and the ISA family to the 2025 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games. This is the 12th ISA World Championship in El Salvador and the third World Surfing Games. Thank you to President Nayib Bukele and to the Minister of Tourism, Morena Valdez.
“The final ranking by teams in this event is going to be the seeding order for the next World Surfing Games, which is going to be the first of the three World Surfing Games qualifiers for the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
“Olympic surfing has changed the world of surfing forever. Since Tokyo 2020 and the incredible waves of Tahiti at Paris 2024, the sport has reached millions of people and inspired a new generation of surfers everywhere.
“We, all surfers in the world, all 119 federations, are the ISA. Beyond our World Championships we have a mission to develop the sport. We have 18,000 certified surf instructors, over 5,000 judges, and 500 para surfing coaches certified by the ISA.
“I wish all of you the best in the competition. A few of you are going home with medals, most not, but all of you are champions because you are here representing your country for the love of surfing, for the love of this competition. Take that with you for the rest of your life. It’s the highest honor to compete in these World Surfing Games, because together we are the United Nations of surfing.”
Competition will begin tomorrow, Saturday, September 6, at 7:30 a.m. CST with Men’s Main Round 1 at La Bocana and Women’s Main Round 1 at El Sunzal.
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