Brisbane 2032 Olympics: Surf life saving to show world racing format behind Games bid
It’s been a nursery for Olympic talent since it began but if international life saving can rustle enough support these everyday heroes will be able to stay at the beach to follow their dream.
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Australians will get their first close-up look at the racing international life saving is pushing to be on the program at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics in just a few months with the races to be a highlight of the 2024 world championships on the Gold Coast.
The ocean man and ocean woman events - basically rebranded ironman and ironwoman racing - plus a mixed teams race will be three of the blue riband events at the life saving world titles at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast from late August.
The 18 day event will be contested by 5000 athletes from 50 countries and used to help promote and garner further support for the sport’s bid for Olympic inclusion.
“We are running the format according to how we will present,’’ said international life saving president Graham Ford, an Australian surf life saver himself from the Bronte surf club
At this stage it is proposed 12-16 teams will race and 12-16 men and women will do the individual races
Ford said he is confident the sport has met all requirements to be up for consideration, ticking off such things as creating an athletes commission, gender equity and having the required countries involved.
“We are very confident we have met all 35 requirements,’’ said Ford, who has been in constant with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as he helps co-ordinate the sports campaign.
Olympic kayaking champion Ken Wallace said life surfing has a uniqueness he believes will have broad appeal.
“Life saving brings special things, being resilient, competing against the unpredictability of Mother Nature and it plays a key role in the development of athletes world wide,” Wallace said.
“It’s incredible how transferable the skills learned are.
“The main reason, the first and foremost reason, people get into this sport is for their own safety and to save lives, wanting to be competent in the water and help in the prevention of drowning.”
The sport of life saving has been used by a multitude of Australia’s top athletes as a launch pad for future success in the sport.
Kayaking in particular has benefited with the likes of Wallace, legendary ironman Grant Kenny and paddler Clint Robinson all from the sport.
In fact, since 2008, over 80 per cent of the Olympic kayaking team have been from a surf background.
Former world triathlon champion Nicole Hackett came from a life saving background as did Susie O’Neill, distance swim great Grant Hackett, Olympic surfing medallist Owen Wright and rowing Olympians Georgia Rowe and Kim Crowe.
The Brisbane Olympic bosses have the ability to put forward sports to the IOC they would like to see as new inclusions on the Games program.
It is then up to the IOC to decide if they will ratify.
“We are ready, we are working hard. We presented in Lausanne in 2017 as an Olympic hopeful,’’ Ford said
“At the Sport Accord in 2019 I did a presentations on a sport for purpose and we ran a demonstration run though of the mixed race for the IOC. It was a big deal and they were very impressed.
“We are timing our announcement before Paris where the IOC meet and then put out their criteria.’’
The sport will now reach out and put their case forward to major players behind the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
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