Few people have had as much influence on the modern direction of surfing as Fernando Aguerre. And now, the Argentine visionary, surfer and longtime Olympic evangelist is set to keep steering the ship. On September 1, the International Surfing Association (ISA) held its 2026 Annual General Meeting in Cardiff, California, where Aguerre was unanimously re-elected as president for another four-year term. He first took the position in 1994, meaning that if he completes this latest term, he’ll have spent 36 years at the helm of surfing’s international governing body.
But the agenda facing Aguerre and the ISA over the next four years may be the organization’s most consequential yet. With surfing now an established Olympic sport after making its debut at Tokyo 2020 and returning for Paris 2024, the focus shifts toward LA28, and what comes after it.
“Olympic Surfing was once an impossible dream, but together, we made that dream real,” Aguerre said following his re-election. He pointed to the sport’s performances in Tokyo and at Teahupo’o and looked ahead to California hosting Olympic surfing in 2028.
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The ISA shares that its priorities for the new term will include delivering a successful third consecutive Olympic Games, expanding surfing into new countries and communities, and providing greater support for its 120 member nations. The organization also has its sights set beyond Los Angeles, with Aguerre already talking about surfing’s opportunity at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
There were a few other notable changes coming out of the meeting. Jean-Luc Arassus of France and Barbara Kendall of New Zealand were re-elected as ISA vice presidents, while Afghanistan’s Afridun Amu was elected to the executive committee. Zimbabwe was also formally approved as the ISA’s newest member, bringing the federation’s membership to 120 nations.
The meeting also highlighted the ISA’s efforts around athlete development, women’s leadership, para surfing and safeguarding. According to the federation, 88 percent of its member organizations now have at least one woman in a leadership role. For Aguerre, though, the big picture remains remarkably consistent with the mission he’s pursued for more than three decades: grow surfing, get more people in the water and establish the sport on the world’s biggest stages.
“I feel a huge sense of gratitude,” Aguerre said. “It is the honor of my lifetime to lead the ISA.”
And with LA28 looming on the horizon, the next four years could be the most important stretch of that lifetime yet.
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