Cover photo: Lowers by ISA/Sean Evans 

Olympic surfing hasn't been going through a good period. Last year, it had been denied entry into Parasurfing and Stand-Up Paddleboarding, and most recently, a few days ago, it had been denied entry into shortboard and longboard competitions.

If it happened, the reality is that the core surfing world would not have been greeted with open arms by the news that the famous Huntington Hop would be the gold medal winner in the sport's biggest event.

It would have been a fourth blow, a knockout? I don't know. But it was a series of hard blows.

But, thank God and the energies, thanks to people's intelligence, understanding and communication, somewhere in that antiquated IOC and somewhere in that organization called LA 2028 that deals with the IOC, they understood (I like to assume that well advised by the ISA) that the IOC, LA 2028 and everyone else would win if the "playing field" was Lowers and not HB.

And so what could have been another major blow to Olympic surfing was avoided.

The difference is abysmal. And I don't think there's a single surfer on the planet who would prefer the Olympics to be held in Huntington over Lowers.

The San Clemente wave is a magnet that absorbs any droplets that form in the southern storms that abound in July and August, transforming them into maneuverable, high-performance walls.

Given the waiting period and the fact that it remains a 48-athlete event (24 men and 24 women), the chances of surfing glassy and perfect Lowers every day are huge.

So, congratulations on this good news. While it doesn't reverse the para-surfing, SUP, and longboarding trends, it does provide some comfort and a sign of hope.