From the Silver Sea to Olympic Gold: how an Argentine took surfing from prohibition to the Olympics

Mar del Plata, Argentina - Image belongs to author

It’s mid-December in Mar del Plata, Argentina, the beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere. I arrive at the beach expecting the sweltering temperatures of Buenos Aires but instead find myself borrowing jumpers from friends to brave the chilly nights. Luckily, the chill means that I can indulge in the comfort of the quintessential Argentinian drink, some piping hot mate. However, whether it’s 40 degrees or 10, traditional mate cups and their accompanying hefty thermos line the shore, nestled beside the Argentinian families that have come to spend the Christmas holidays in the coastal city affectionately nicknamed ‘La Feliz’ (The happy [place]).

It all seems very tranquil until you step onto the beach promenade. You soon learn to dodge the sharp noses of the short boards wielded by surfers darting down to the beach; no second is wasted even on dry land as they maneuver past not on foot but on surf-skateboards. In the water, it’s no different. As a (very) inexperienced surfer I try to stay out of their way and, while attempting to catch my breath, admire their twists and turns – skills they’ve been practicing from as early as five years old.

It’s hard to imagine that a sport now so ingrained in the local culture was once repressed under Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship. Likewise, while watching surfing in the most recent Olympics, it is quite hard to believe that it was only the sport’s second appearance in the games. Only after years of relentless activism and lobbying, surfing made it into the ranks of the most prestigious sporting competition in the world and could give us iconic photos such as Gabriel Medina’s mid-air salute. Both the eventual liberty allowed to Mar del Plata’s surfers – turning ‘La Feliz’ into the surf haven it is today – and the story of how it reached the Olympics, can be traced back to one man: Fernando Aguerre.

Sipping mate on the beach - Image belongs to author

Fernando Aguerre was one of the young men at the forefront of the fight to freely surf. It is said he would defiantly drive his van to the nearest beaches while blasting rock music, ignoring any prohibitions. When faced with restrictions on Mar del Plata’s beaches, he and his friends would travel further south to surf uninhibited, however, the close-by military base meant that shots were fired to scare them away, their boards were confiscated, or the boys would spend the night in jail. However, their efforts did not go in vain and soon and the restrictions implemented in 1978, were soon lifted in 1979 thanks to pressure from the local community. Aguerre and his friends then went on organizing competitions and took the surfing from a community of 150 to over 2,000. Once Aguerre created the Argentinian surf organization and even became the president of the International Surfing Organization, it became clear that Argentinian surfing had progressed far beyond the Styrofoam boards and ski suits he recalls wearing to brave the cold Argentinian waters. The conditions were surely not as conducive to the sport as the warm waters of California or Hawaii, but Aguerre’s perseverance was able to place Argentina on the world stage. If anything, the restrictions and limitations during the dictatorship motivated him to persevere. As he states in an interview with the Argentinian newspaper Infobae in 2019, “a los que nos prohibieron yo les agradezco que nos hayan prohibido” (I’m grateful to those that prohibited us [from surfing] for doing so)

And yet, Aguerre was not quite satisfied. He was set on bringing surfing to the biggest stage yet: the Olympics. Convincing the Olympic committee, however, proved much harder than changing the minds of the dictatorship’s military officials. He began lobbying the Olympic Committee in 1994, likening it to “una remada de 20 años” (like paddling nonstop for 20 years) and admits that he needed a streak of “quijotismo” (Quixotism) to keep him going for so many years. And yet, despite many previous failures, surfing was eventually approved for the 2020 Olympic Games.

The surf-inspired metaphors write themselves. In interviews, Aguerre doesn’t shy away from encouraging us that life is about "let[ting] one wave pass you by but knowing that another would come to renew that opportunity”. Indeed, surfing is much more than just a sport. It calls to mind long-haired free spirits throwing up shaka signs, urging you to just “go with the flow.” It’s said to reconnect us with nature, encouraging respect for the ocean and draw awareness to environmental issues. In the interview, Aguerre romantically reflects on our relationship to the world’s waters, reminding us that “el mar no es de nadie [...] es de todos” (no one owns the sea, it belongs to everyone) and argues that the Olympic attention and visibility will only remind us of the sacredness of both the sport and the environment that makes it possible.

Surfboards - Image belongs to author

Achieving the Olympic dream, first envisioned by Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku (the father of modern surfing) over a century ago, now platforms the sport’s rich history and culture to the world, giving it the respect it deserves. Aguerre celebrated the grandeur of this historic moment on social media with the image of San Martín, Argentina’s national hero who liberated the country from Spanish rule, alongside a surfboard and the phrase ‘from forbidden to Olympic.’ However, just as other surfers came to question his narrative of Mar del Plata’s ‘prohibition’, arguing that surfing was just restricted within certain hours and never truly banned, we can also question whether his Olympic dream truly aligns with the values at the heart of the sport.

At his core, although still an avid surfer with romantic visions, Aguerre is fundamentally a businessman and knows how to sell an idea, having propelled his company Reef to global success. While Olympic exposure on the one hand maximizes local interest and growth, the environmental impacts of the spectacle shouldn’t be overlooked.

The $5 million three-story aluminum viewing tower project in the Village of Teahupo’o on the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia built for the previous Olympics certainly does not pay respect to the ocean nor is it environmentally conscious. Although the Olympic committee eventually changed its plans, building a collapsible tower with lighter foundations in response to concerns that it could damage the reef’s corals (which, aside from the environmental damage, could also permanently change the iconic wave’s shape), this was only after protests from the local community. The reversal was a victory that reduced environmental impacts, but it exposes the contradiction at the heart of the narrative: the Olympics may bring surfing prestige, but do they uphold the environmental values he speaks of?

Despite this, the spirit of surfing endures: freedom, self-expression and connection to nature. As discussed, whilst the Olympics bring the sport to a new, younger audience, perhaps surfing doesn’t need the games to continue inspiring generations to come – Mar del Plata’s beaches are a testament to it and truly any surfers ‘happy place’.

Beach views - Image belongs to author

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