JEFFREYS BAY, Eastern Cape, South Africa (Wednesday, July 19, 2023) - Ethan Ewing (AUS) has provisionally qualified through the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) to represent Australia at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Ewing's runner-up finish today at the Corona Open J-Bay ensures he will be one of the 18 surfers to provisionally qualify through the WSL CT. The 24-year-old, currently ranked second in the world, will represent his country in the Olympics for the very first time next year at Teahupoo, Tahiti.
"It's huge," Ewing stated. "It's been a huge goal of mine and to go to the Olympics, especially at a wave like Teahupo'o, it's going to be exciting and something to work towards."
Ewing first qualified for the elite Championship Tour back in 2016 after a stellar performance on the international Qualifying Series. However, his debut among the world's best was chaotic as the young Australian never made it past the third round, and was eventually relegated at the end of the season. The North Stradbroke island surfer came back rejuvenated in 2021 and started to show his true potential.
The following season in 2022 was a breakthrough for Ewing. He won his first CT event at the Corona Open J-Bay and reached the WSL Final 5, eventually closing the year ranked 4th in the World. Ewing continued to build momentum this season with a win at Bells Beach, and two runner-ups in Rio and today in South Africa.
Surfing will return to the Olympic Games after making its 2020 Olympic debut in Tokyo. The 2024 Olympics will be held on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti at Teahupo'o, the iconic wave known for massive barrels, heavy drops, and a shallow reef. This will be familiar to the WSL surfers as it is the featured stop on the WSL CT and the next stop on the 2023 CT season.
The WSL CT, the highest level of competitive surfing that crowns the World Champions, is surfing's tier-one qualifier for the 2024 Olympic Games. WSL will provisionally qualify the first ten men and eight women for Paris 2024. Learn more about Surfing's Olympic Qualification process.
Watch Ewing compete at the upcoming Shiseido Tahiti Pro from August 11 - 20, 2023. Once called on, the competition will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL's YouTube channel, and the free WSL app. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL's broadcast partners.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.