I'll admit to being selfish...but I couldn't care less for progressing the future of surfing. I don't want to open the door up to surfing more than they already have been. There's already too many kooks out there. Yes, sure, we've all been there...but people taking up surfing now days want to be catching waves from day 1 and generally have no intention to learn the 'rules'. No intention to learn about safety....right of way...not paddling through the take of point etc etc. Many who take it up just give up and become SUPers. They don't want to do the hard yards like the rest of us did. They're clogging up the few surf breaks we have left.

I couldn't give two ****s about competitive surfing. I don't care about the future of the sport because I don't really consider it one. I'm not going to spout about stokes and tribes and "surfing is muh lifestyle braaaa" but for me it's never been a sport. It's the same way I view mountaineering (which I partake in also). It's a thing I do to hit my reset switch. Why would I possibly want to have surfing promoted more than it already is? What possible gain is there, other than increased Chinese board sales and more mid-life crisis Porsche '4wd' owners with SUP's on their roof racks.

Yeah I may seem grumpy...or even sound like a surf hipster that wants to look down his nose at all the new-surf plebs...but it's not like that. The actual few competitors aside, who will gain from adding surfing to the Olympics?

Legropes started the decline, this is just another nail in the coffin.

The surfing Olympics happen on the Oahu nth shore each year, no gold medals, just recognition.

Nope not a fan at all, can't see many pro surfers getting more excited over a gold medal than holding up the Bells or Pipe trophy. Maybe restrict it to an age limit ie under 21's. The surf industry are stoked as it has just opened up a massive new market = $$$$

Razzonater said..
The below is what changed the whole game in the olympics.
edition.cnn.com/2012/07/22/opinion/greene-olympics-amateurs/

That's gold :)