The International Surfing Association has issued an official warning to the United States team for questioning the good faith of one of its athletes without mentioning him, according to a statement sent today to the teams participating in the ISA World Surfing Games to which DUKE had access.

According to the statement signed by CEO Bob Fasulo, replays of the series in question were reviewed and due to insufficient information, no action could be taken.

“The ISA today issued an official warning to Team USA. This official warning was issued after an extensive review of video replays by the ISA Technical Team, including the Technical Director, the Meet Director, and the three Head Judges, to determine whether there was a lack of good faith effort in the performance of one of Team USA’s athletes in today’s competition.

While the Technical Team determined that there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the athlete lacked bona fides in the heat, the entire team agreed that the athlete's performance was subpar and therefore warranted an official warning.

As mentioned above, the ISA Technical Team will continue to monitor performances throughout the remainder of the competition to ensure that ISA Olympic Eligibility and Nomination Requirements are met,” the statement said.

RELATED NOTE: ISA takes extreme measures to ensure that CT athletes do not abandon competitions

According to a previous statement sent to ISA member nations, starting with this championship the athletes' good faith was going to be monitored, that is, their willingness to go into the water and win and not simply show up (since to be an Olympian, CT-qualified athletes must participate in the World Surfing Games) and it had happened that surfers surfed a series and then left the event.

While the release doesn't specify who this is, it seems pretty obvious that it's CT #2 Caitlin Simmers, who was knocked out of the event today with a 3,5 total made up of waves of 2,5 and 1.

The only other American to go in the water today was Tyler Gunter, who finished his heat in second place with a total of 10,17.

Another element that presumably comes into play in the ISA's considerations is that the United States already secured an extra slot on its women's team at the 2022 World Cup in Huntington Beach.

In the first communiqué on this topic, sent to the nations in September 2023, ISA President Fernando Aguerre stated:

“The values ​​of sportsmanship and fair play are at the core of the ISA and as such, I immediately understood that this was a problem. These athletes effectively damaged the image of the ISA and the World Surfing Games, and impacted the progress and results of the series through their actions. I immediately took the initiative to discuss the situation with the WSL leaders who were on-site and following up, and they agreed that a stricter approach was warranted,” Aguerre writes.

He added: “Following consultation with our legal advisors, we have taken the necessary actions to adjust The Requirements, requiring CT athletes to undergo a medical evaluation should an athlete wish to withdraw prior to the end of the competition for any reason. In the absence of a legitimate medical justification, the surfer in question will lose his or her Olympic eligibility. The athlete legal waiver, which is signed by all athletes participating in our WSGs, has also been amended in accordance with The Requirements.”

He concludes: “Additionally, I want to draw your attention to the inclusion of the term “bona fide” in reference to the surfers’ participation in next year’s WSG. We will be monitoring the athletes’ performance at the WSG and reserve the right to apply the ISA Disciplinary Policy relating to unsportsmanlike conduct under Section 3.A.vi of the ISA Rules, which relates to intentionally missing or underperforming in a Series. We encourage Members and surfers to familiarize themselves with these rules.”

According to the criteria published by the United States, Caitlin Simmers will occupy that third slot and, if sufficient evidence had been found, the ISA could have left her out of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.