JAKARTA, Indonesia — Despite being a three-time world champion in her sport, Liv Stone realized earlier this year that she may never get the chance to compete at the Olympic level.
The 21-year-old parasurfer was one of many members of the sport’s international community who were distraught to discover that, despite years of promotion, parasurfing, a form of surfing that allows people with physical disabilities to ride waves on a board o Water skiing would not be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
“When I heard they didn’t get in, I was shocked,” Stone said. “Not only for my career, but also for all the other athletes.”
With parasurfing not selected for the Los Angeles Games, Stone and other members of the parasurfing and surfing communities are strengthening their advocacy for the sport to be included in future Paralympics, offering creative solutions to help keep it afloat. his Paralympic surfing dreams. .
The push for parasurfing to be included in the Paralympic Games has been a priority for more than half a decade, Stone said.
“We have pushed for more than five years to be able to participate in the Paris Olympics,” Stone said. “Then Paris came and we weren’t there… I realized we had to keep pushing.”
Advocates quickly turned their efforts to the 2028 Los Angeles Games, feeling that the sport met many of the criteria needed to be considered, including a certain number of International Paralympic Committee countries and regions, a disability-based qualification system and a Approximate gender parity for certain divisions, said five-time world parasurfing champion Victoria Feige, 38.
But then came the announcement: parasurfing would be bypassed at the Los Angeles Paralympic Games and paraclimbing would be included instead.
“LA28’s assessment of Para climbing and Para surfing was based on global and national popularity, universality in major international events, as well as the cost and complexity of both sports within the context of the venue master plan. LA28,” a Los Angeles Olympics spokesperson wrote in an email to The Associated Press.
“In finalizing our proposal, LA28 needed to strike a balance between its commitment to growing the Paralympic Movement and our commitment to managing the size of the Games and our financial responsibility to the city of Los Angeles.”
Feige said she felt disappointed when she heard the announcement, but with a new sense of determination to include parasurfing in the Games, whether it be the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics or Brisbane 2032, she said. “Cost is a real factor. We recognize that,” Feige said. “But I’ve really been trying to think about how we can show our value in terms of corporate sponsorship, how we can show our value in terms of viewership and how we, as athletes, can show our sport in a way that justifies a higher cost.”
Feige said she and others began thinking about solutions that could help reduce costs or alleviate logistical difficulties, including the idea that a wave pool could be used to address infrastructure and water safety concerns, or that They could use corporate sponsorships or crowdfunding to address increased costs. costs.
The ideas and promotion attracted attention, and an online petition calling for para-surfing to be included in the Los Angeles Games began in June, garnering more than 19,000 signatures.
The push to include parasurfing in the Paralympic Games is also supported by the International Surfing Association, the world governing authority for surfing recognized by the International Olympic Committee, which has advocated for parasurfing to be included in and hosted by the Games. . the ISA World Para (Adaptive) Surfing Championship since 2015.
“You don’t get all the waves you want; You don’t even get all the waves you paddle out. So what do you do? You go out and row harder. That is what we are doing,” ISA president Fernando Aguerre told the AP. “We will continue to develop parasurfing around the world, including explaining why it should be part of the Paralympic Games.”
While the battle continues to get parasurfing included in the next Paralympic Games, Feige said he remains optimistic.
“If we can navigate the ocean with our disabilities, we have the great determination and creativity to find a solution to this problem as well,” Feige said. “We just need a chance to show what we can do.”
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