GB Surfing has been awarded £1.375 million by UK Sport to support the development of elite British surfers throughout the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle.

This funding is a 2% increase on the groundbreaking grant awarded in December 2020 ahead of the Paris Olympics, which marked the first-ever government-backed support for surfing in the UK.

As with the Paris funding agreement, the grant is given to support Olympic disciplines, meaning all investment will be put towards shortboard surfing, and helping to develop British shortboard surfers in the build-up to the LA Olympic Games and beyond.

Speaking about the investment, GB Surfing Executive Performance Director, Dan Hunt, said:

“The continued investment from UK Sport enables us to build on the strong foundations we’ve laid over the past few years and ensures we can keep creating opportunities for talented young British surfers with Olympic aspirations.

“We are lucky to have some incredibly talented surfers on our shores, and as a team, we are delighted to have the opportunity to keep working with our current squad, as well as younger surfers coming through the pathway, to help get them to the Olympics. 

“A huge thank you goes to the incredible team here at GB Surfing. Their dedication over the past two years has been instrumental in ensuring the programme’s survival and success and has played a key role in securing this renewed investment.”

GB Surfing receives UK Sport development funding, which is given to sports in the early stages of their development to support their long-term medal potential. GB Surfing’s aim remains to have British surfers competing at the LA Olympics in 2028 and competing for medals at the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.