The Surfing Walk Of Fame’s 25th Anniversary
It is the 25th anniversary of The Surfing Walk of Fame and this year we see Fernando Aguerre, president of the International Surfing Association (ISA), selected and presented with the Surfing Walk of Fame Honor Roll Award for his contributions to surfing, along side some of the best athletes in the sport and fellow colleagues.
Press Release: Huntington Beach, California, August 2, 2018 – International Surfing Association (ISA) President Fernando Aguerre has today been inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame, alongside some of the sport’s most famous faces, at the annual ceremony held in Huntington Beach, California.
The 2018 Surfing Walk of Fame marks the 25th year since the first inductees were added, and will see this year’s recipients immortalized in the pavement opposite the pier of Huntington Beach, often known as Surf City USA.
President Aguerre was honoured for his contribution to the Sport of Surfing after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted at 2016’s 129th IOC Session in Rio de Janeiro to add Surfing to the Programme for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Following the IOC approval of Olympic Surfing, the sport has enjoyed unprecedented growth, recently staging its most successful ISA World Surfing Games where 245 athletes from a record-breaking 47 nations took part in eight days of elite competition in Biarritz, France.
President Aguerre joins elite athletes Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore, local legend Randy Lewis, Vans’ vice president Steve Van Doren, Quicksilver’s CEO Bob McKnight and surf pioneer Ben Aipa in the class of 2018.
In receiving the award, President Aguerre said:
“It is an honour for me to join such esteemed colleagues and friends today to be inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame. This is a prestigious award and one that I will cherish. Surfing is my life and I have worked hard to ensure that, through the ISA, I can spread the sport around the world.
“I’d like to share this award with everyone who helped me and the ISA in making our Olympic dream a reality in 2016. The Surfing community came together to support a historic common cause, and for that I will be eternally grateful. The Surf and Beach Festival to be held at Tokyo 2020 will allow us to share our values, lifestyle and culture with billions around the world.”