Olympic Surfing Still on Track, Despite Coronavirus Concerns – Surfline.com Surf News

Posted On: March 17, 2020

“The impression here is that they will run.”

As cancelations of major events due to coronavirus continue, that’s the word on the ground at Shidashita Beach, the host site for surfing’s Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games, from photographer Pedro Gomes. As an expat living in Japan, by way of Brazil, Gomes has been watching and documenting surfing’s road to Tokyo 2020 from ground zero for quite some time. And over the weekend, he sent us a dispatch showing the construction of facilities at Shidashita Beach in preparation for the Olympic event (see above), along with images of locals enjoying some recent swell (see below).

Former O’Neill Wave of the Winter winner, Keito Matsuoka, enjoying the fruits of home on March 10th. Photo: Pedro Gomes

“Until now there are no cases of coronavirus in the city of Ichinomiya or in the cities near to Ichinomiya where the surf event is going to happen,” reports Gomes. “The number of surfers and visitors hasn’t changed for this time of the year at Shidashita and all preparations for the event are on schedule. You can see a few people using the mask on the beach, but it’s springtime here and many people use the masks for the pollen allergy. The prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, just made a speech this weekend saying there is no reason to call a State of Emergency.”

WATCH LIVE: Shidashita Beach Surf Cam

The reality is: a lot of things are being canceled or postponed due to coronavirus. Specifically, with regards to surfing, the entire Australian leg of the 2020 Championship Tour has been put on ice until further notice. And the Olympics has been in a state of looming uncertainty as this pandemic continues to shake out. As we reported last month, a senior IOC member stated that officials have until about late May to make a decision on whether or not to cancel Tokyo 2020. But according to the latest meeting of the IOC and stakeholders for specific sports, in which ISA President Fernando Aguerre participated, all systems are still go:

“The IOC remains fully committed to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and with more than four months to go before the Games there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage; and any speculation at this moment would be counter-productive.”

March 13th, Shidashita Beach, Japan. Photo: Pedro Gomes

And like Gomes, other locals in Shidashita remain confident: “We are concerned about the virus issue, but at the same time we are very confident about the success of the event,” said local surfer and city council member, Uzawa Kiyohisa. “Outdoors are not considered areas of risk and this region has no case yet of infection. The IOC has been confirming the Olympics for the expected dates, so we’re optimistic for the event following the originally scheduled plan.”

READ MORE: Mechanics of Shidashita Beach

The same goes for legendary figure in Japanese surfing and longtime shaper since the early 1970s, Misao Tako:” We are definitely facing a situation like other places in the world, but I think things are gonna be alright. And as a local, I really wanna see the surf event happen here. In the worst case, they could change the dates for the Olympics for maybe later this year but I wanna see it happen.”