Egypt becomes 17th African nation to join International Surfing Association

Egypt has joined the International Surfing Association (ISA) as its 111th National Federation member to bring the number of African members up to 17 as the governing body continues surfing’s development across the continent.

The Egyptian Surfing Association (ESA) prioritises spreading surf culture to the country’s youth and encouraging greater participation.

The ESA hopes that with the ISA’s support, it can create a development pathway for the sport and form its first competitive national teams for surfing and stand-up paddle (SUP).

“We are very excited to join the ISA,” said ESA President Omar Elsobky.

“This is a big moment for the expanding Egyptian surf community and, following the sport’s amazing debut at the Tokyo Olympics, we believe we can harness this excitement and inspire many more to become surfing athletes.

“We want to see thousands of Egyptians – young and old, women and men – become passionate about surfing and the unique culture that is embedded into the sport.

“We have stunning coastlines and great waves for all levels so we look forward to developing an exciting surfing future for our country.”

The two organisations had previously collaborated in July as the ISA organised instructor and water courses in partnership with the ESA and Surf Camp Egypt.

“We love the fact that we are welcoming one of the oldest civilizations – Egypt – to the newest, coolest Olympic sport,” said ISA President Fernando Aguerre.

“This is confirmation of surfing’s universal appeal and the sport’s expansion into new territories and continents.

“We are fully committed to surfing’s continued global growth, as more and more young people fall in love with the ocean and every surfing and SUP discipline.

“Africa is a very important continent for the ISA as we spread the joy of surfing to all parts of the world and fulfil our mission to make our sport accessible to everyone.

“With surfing confirmed in the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar in 2026, there will be a stronger spotlight on our sport in Africa, which we hope will inspire the next generation of Egyptians to participate in all surfing disciplines.

“We would love to see Egyptian surfers competing in the Youth Olympics soon.”

Egypt’s addition to the ISA comes shortly after the International Canoe Federation (ICF) visited Cairo and praised the country’s Canoe and Kayak Federation.

The ISA and ICF have been in disagreement over SUP as both wish to claim it under their jurisdiction.

A confrontation between the two bodies arose in 2017 when the ICF attempted to claim ownership of SUP, even though the ISA has been heavily involved in the discipline and ran World Championships in it since 2012.

ISA opened a case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in 2018 over the governance issue.

CAS ruled in August 2020 that both organisations could hold SUP events, but the ISA would remain the International Federation to govern the sport at Olympic level.

By Owen Lloyd