Surfing at 2024 Paris Olympics: How it works, Team USA stars, what else to know

Here's what you need to know about surfing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

When did surfing become an Olympic sport?

Surfing dates back to the 12th Century, but it didn’t make its Olympic debut until the Tokyo Games in 2021.

The choppy, unpredictable waves outside Tokyo were less-than-ideal, but the athletes treated fans to a spectacle with breathtaking, aerial moves. The Paris Games will feature barrel riding in Teahupoʻo, Tahiti.

How does Olympic surfing work?

The men’s and women’s competition each will feature six rounds. Round 1 includes eight heats and three surfers per heat, which will last between 20 and 35 minutes depending on the condition of the surf. Then it’s head-to-head, elimination battle until the semifinals. The winners of the semis surf for gold and silver and the losers compete for bronze.

Each ride is scored by five judges, with the lowest and highest scores discarded. The average of the three remaining judges’ scores is the final score. The cumulative score for the top two rides per heat is the overall score. A perfect ride is 10 points and the perfect heat is 20 points. There’s no limit to how many waves a surfer can ride.

There will be 48 surfers, 24 women and 24 men.

Who are the top Team USA athletes in surfing?

Carissa Moore, the defending Olympic champion in the women’s competition, will be the sentimental favorite. This will be her final competition before at least temporarily retiring at 31. She’ll be pushed by fellow Americans Caroline Marks, who won the 2023 World Surf League (WSL) Women's World Tour Championship, and 18-year-old Caitlin Simmers, who’s No. 1 in the WSL rankings.

On the men’s side, John John Florence and Griffin Colapinto sit atop the WSL rankings.

What’s the international landscape in surfing?

In May, Vahine Fierro of France won the women's competition at the World Surf League stop in Teahupoʻo, where she lives and trains. On the men's side, don’t bet against the Brazilians. The men have won each of the past five WLS men’s championships, so it was no surprise Italo Ferreira of Brazil won gold in surfing’s Olympic debut.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Surfing at 2024 Paris Olympics: How it works, what to know