A Russian surfer competes during the 2019 ISA Surfing Games. Photo: Ben Reed//ISA
The International Surfing Association has issued a press released stating their intention to continue to exclude Russian surfers from all ISA events. It comes after their first announcement back in March, 2022. The Russian Surfing Federation issued a defiant statement shortly afterwards.
The war Russia is waging on Ukraine has been going on for a little over a year now — the most recent part of the conflict, anyway. Back in 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and gave a bunch of weapons to separatists in the Donbas region, the first time since the second World War that one European territory seized another.
It’s a complicated story — one a little too lengthy to fully explain here — but in short (and fast forwarding a bit) in 2021, Russia began amassing troops near the Ukrainian border, signaling its intention to ramp things up again, despite Putin saying over and over again he had no plans to invade. Then, of course, Russia invaded, and here we are.
Which brings us to the ISA’s most recent statement. “The ISA Executive Committee today decided to continue to exclude surfers from Russia from all ISA events,” the release read.
Since the ISA doesn’t have a member federation in Belarus (which is decidedly on Russia’s side of the conflict), athletes from that country aren’t eligible anyway. The recommendation to uphold the ban came after the International Olympic Committee’s March 28 recommendation to “implement their own policies regarding the participation of Russian and Belorussian competitors as neutral athletes in events under specific conditions.”
That recommendation doesn’t apply to team sports, and since ISA events are “competitions with qualified teams who are entered by their National Surfing Federations,” and the ISA Rule Book doesn’t have a provision for surfers participating outside of their national teams, surfers from Russia are black-balled. Should the situation change, however, the ISA is willing to take another look.
“The ISA will continue to monitor the situation in Ukraine and consult with other international sports organizations like the IOC to review athlete participation policies,” the committee explained. “Should circumstances change, the ISA will review its position and submit updated recommendations to its Executive Committee. These decisions are the result of the ISA’s strong condemnation of the Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine – a war which has been fought for more than a year. As a top priority, the ISA is ensuring the safety of the public, athletes and officials, and is protecting the integrity of its competitions.The ISA continues to express its solidarity with the people and surfers from Ukraine.”
