Tears ran down Fernando Aguerre’s face as the first-ever Olympic medal ceremony for surfing commenced on the sand in Japan.
A camera zoomed in showing the emotional moment to countless spectators around the globe tuning into surfing’s Olympic debut in 2021.
Aguerre held up his hand and stretched his pinky and thumb outward – throwing a “shaka” sign out to the world.
“I was telling the world, ‘Love is the answer,’” the International Surfing Association president said of the moment and soaking in that surfing was officially an Olympic sport. “Because that (gesture) in Hawaiian means aloha, and it’s the same.”
Now, Aguerre, along with World Surf League world champion Italo Ferreira, who won the first-ever men’s gold medal at that same event, have been selected into this year’s Surfers’ Hall of Fame. They will be placing their hands and feet in cement in front of Huntington Surf and Sport on the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway at 9 a.m. on Aug. 4.
Joining them will be Register reporter Laylan Connelly, selected because of 20 years of beach and surf coverage in Orange County and beyond.
Aguerre is no stranger to earning nods for his decades of dedication to get surfing into the Olympics, among his accolades are the SIMA Waterman of the Year in 2013 and in 2018 a spot on the Surfing Walk of Fame , also in Huntington Beach.
But being remembered in cement, next to a bronze statue of Duke Kahanamoku, will be an extra special moment for Aguerre, who made it his life mission to fulfill the dreams of the Hawaiian Olympic swimmer who in the 1920s dreamed of surfing being included into the global games.
Aguerre is a devoted “bridge builder” between organizations, cultures, countries and all types of groups, as a part of his objective of helping build a better world, according to the Surfers’ Hall of Fame organizers.
“It’s just amazing that he’s bringing different countries together,” event creator Aaron Pai said. “His all inclusive, loving spirit is amazing. It’s the future of not only surfing, but the future of the world. It’s what we all hope and pray for: a peaceful world with all countries getting along as one. He’s about love and spreading love.”
The location of the ceremony is not far from where Aguerre, born in Argentina, spent months when he first came to California in 1980. He was so enthralled with the surf town, he later landed in Huntington in 1984 to expand Reef Brazil, a sandal brand he started with brother Santiago that morphed into a mega surf industry leader.
But in the ’90s, Aguerre put his business on the backburner to become the president of the International Surfing Association with a goal of making the world a better place through surfing and with the vision that the sport would one day make it to the Olympic games.
Aguerre liked what ISA stood for, he said, promoting surfing and competition around the world, even in places without an ocean.
In 1995, he showed up with a surfboard to the International Olympic Committee headquarters to start discussions about surfing’s intent to be included in the games.
The first ISA World Surfing Game were held in 1996 in Huntington Beach to show surfing could be held with an Olympic-style format. A “Sands of the World” ceremony, which still exists today, has athletes pour sand from their home lands together to symbolize peace through surfing. Trophies were swapped out for medals and surfers competed not just as individuals, but for their countries.
For nearly three decades, Aguerre has traveled the world making presentations at Olympic meetings, pitching the sport’s value to draw a younger audience, and meeting with influential surfers about how the inclusion can mean positive things for the sport that for many years, and not long ago, was considered a counter-culture pastime.
His pursuits paid off, with surfing making its debut in the Tokyo games two years ago. The ISA, with Aguerre at the helm, already was recognized by the IOC as the world governing authority for surfing, officially becoming an Olympic Federation.
Ferreira’s story – an upbringing of modest means and in an area with subpar waves – is exactly one that can bring hope to all surfers from around the world, Aguerre said. He’s the only surfer to have an ISA World Game championship, a World Surf League world surfing championship and an Olympic gold medal.
Aguerre said Ferreira’s success will inspire others to strive for Olympic gold in coming years.
Aguerre, one of surfing’s most colorful and flamboyant fixtures, had a famous saying he often repeats: “Surfing does not want a one-night stand with the Olympics.”
The first date wasn’t easy. After being delayed a year by the coronavirus pandemic, a state of emergency amid a surge in cases was put in place in the days leading up to the 2021 event, canceling a big festival that was meant to showcase the surfing lifestyle. The location was challenging, with some athletes having to stay hours away. But, the most important thing showed up: waves.
Surfing and the Olympics are now in a committed, long-term relationship.
Already, surfers are in the hunt for spots for next year’s Paris Games, with the massive waves at Teahupo’o, Tahiti, part of French Polynesia, selected as the competition site. That event will be much different than the last, held on a small island across the world from France. And the wave itself, one of the gnarliest barrels on the planet, might be too much for some of the athletes to handle.
While some top surfers will qualify through the World Surf League’s World Tour, others will earn their spot in Puerto Rico early next year during the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games, it was announced this week.
And then, surfing will ride into Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic games. Already, Huntington Beach officials are making a big push for the surfing portion to take place in Surf City, just across from where Aguerre is set to accept his Surfers’ Hall of Fame award this summer.
For Aguerre, the upcoming induction into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame will bring him back to where his journey in Southern California began more than 40 years ago.
“My first introduction to this massive subculture that is Surf City was in Huntington Beach. For me, it’s kind of like going back, like the finish of a circle,” he said. “You walk and you come back to the very place it first started. This is going to be very special.”
