Surfing Superstar Shares Scathing Thoughts On Olympics Being Held in Wave Pools

Plenty of debate is swirling around where the surfing competition should be held for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. One surfing star gives his candid opinion.

Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press / USA TODAY NETWORK

There are plenty of opinions swirling right now as to what and how the surfing competition should take place in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

After a successful run in Tahiti during the 2024 Summer Olympics, surfing has taken center stage and will be even more popular on a stage like Hollywood. But the largest controversy is whether or not the competition should be held in the ocean or a wave pool like the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California.

As for the wave pool argument, many believe that a WSL-certified pool could provide an even playing ground for all contestants and won't be weather dependent.

And that line of thinking is garnering a lot of support.

However, there are still plenty of surfers, like Australia-native and Olympic medalist Jack Robinson, who feel very differently and would rather go the traditional route of using the ocean for a surfing competition.

"Personally, if an [Olympic] host country has waves, then use them, Robinson told the Sydney Morning Herald. "America has waves in Hawaii and California. Some people might prefer a wave pool because it suits their surfing but to me, working out the ocean is a big part of competitive surfing. It’s such a skill and you take that away in a wave pool.

“And from a spectator point of view, personally I don’t think wave pools are great to watch. Maybe one day they will be. But right now, I think it’s very repetitive to watch. Mostly the waves can only handle so much size and if a wave’s quite long it gets boring, it’s the same maneuvers and moves over and over again. I’m not writing off wave pools, I think one day they’ll have their place. But right now, for the Olympics, I don’t think so.”

That is a pretty strong statement in support of going the traditional route. And it is hard to argue his point. Los Angeles is known for its surfing community and consistently has waves to surf. But, like Paris did with Tahiti, the Olympic Committee could choose to use Hawaii which is well known for its legendary surf.

Only time will tell in how this saga will play out.