For surfing's second appearance at the Olympic Games, after the success of Tokyo 2020 on Tsurigasaki Beach in Ichinomiya, south-east of Tokyo, everything will be set in Paris - or rather 15,700 km from the French capital, on another continent and 12 hours ahead of mainland France in Tahiti.

Forty-eight of the best surfers in the world, 24 men and 24 women, will be competing for gold in one of the most majestic and spectacular locations on the planet: Teahupo'o in French Polynesia.

After a two-year qualification process, 48 of the world's best surfers have risen to the top to take on the unique challenge that Teahupo'o offers, with beaches that promise spectacular waves in a stunning paradise setting, with coral reefs that make it as attractive as it is dangerous.

Controversies over whether the Games should be held in Polynesia are now a thing of the past, particularly over the control tower that will judge the actionsof the world's best surfers. Despite the controversy and protests, it was finally decided to go ahead with the original plan in Teahupo'o, a small town of no more than 1,300 people in the French overseas territory.

With the best surfers from the ISA World Surfing Games, the World Surf League (WSL) 2023 CT, the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games and the Universality Slots, these 24 women and 24 men are ready to take on the powerful swells of the South Pacific in Tahiti.

The competition window for surfing will run from 27 July to 5 August 2024, and four days will be required to complete the event. Mother Nature will decide when the world's best will be in action, depending on swell and weather conditions.

Prior to the opening of the competition window, six days of training will be available for the athletes to have exclusive use of the wave (from 21 to 26 July 2024).

The Olympic surfing format will give each surfer the opportunity to surf twice. The winners of Round 1 will advance to Round 3 and the second and third placed surfers will advance to an elimination Round 2.

From Round 3, the heats will be one-on-one, with the winners advancing and the runners-up eliminated, until the quarter-finals, semi-finals and bronze and gold medal heats.

Classification in Round 1 will be based primarily on the individual surfer's result at the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games.

Rounds 2 and 3 will be reclassified based on the surfers' results in the previous round combined with their original ranking. 

From the Quarter Finals onwards, rounds will no longer be reclassified and athletes will advance within their group to the next round. In the semi-finals, the second placed surfer advances to the bronze medal heat and the first placed surfer advances to the gold medal heat.

In the only Olympic Games in which they have officially participated, Tokyo 2020 (to be held in 2021), Brazilian Italo Ferreira and American Carissa Moore were crowned the best in the world and worthy of the coveted Olympic gold medal. She has qualified for Paris 2024 and will be looking to become a double Olympic champion.

QUALIFIED ATHLETES:

FEMALE

- Anat Lelior (ISR)

- Brisa Hennessy (CRC)

- Camilla Kemp (GER)

- Candelaria Resano (NCG)

- Caitlin Simmers (USA)

- Carissa Moore (USA)

- Caroline Marks (USA)

- Janire Gonzalez-Extabarri (ESP)

- Johanne Defay (FRA)

- Luana Silva (BRA)

- Molly Picklum (AUS)

- Nadia Erostarbe (ESP)

- Saffi Vette (NZL)

- Sanoa Olin (CAN)

- Sarah Baum (RSA)

- Shino Matsuda (JPN)

- Siqi Yang (CHN)

- Sol Aguirre (PER)

- Taina Hinckel (BRA)

- Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA)

- Teresa Bonvalot (POR)

- Tyler Wright (AUS)

- Vahine Fierro (FRA)

- Yolanda Sequeira (POR)

MALE

- Alan Cleland Jr (MEX)

- Alonso Correa (PER)

- Andy Criere (ESP)

- Billy Stairmand (NZL)

- Bryan Perez (ESA)

- Connor O'Leary (JPN)

- Ethan Ewing (AUS)

- Filipe Toledo (BRA)

- Gabriel Medina (BRA)

- Griffin Colapinto (USA)

- Jack Robinson (AUS)

- Joan Duru (FRA)

- João Chianca (BRA)

- John John Florence (USA)

- Jordy Smith (RSA)

- Matthew McGillivray (RSA)

- Kanoa Igarashi (JPN)

- Kauli Vaast (FRA)

- Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)

- Lucca Mesinas (PER)

- Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR)

- Reo Inaba (JPN)

- Rio Waida (INA)

- Tim Elter (GER)