The DaKine/International Surfing Association (ISA) World Junior Surfing Championship, presented by Billabong, is now underway in Playa Venao in Panama. This event has drawn more than 300 surfers from around the world, all under the age of 18. Surfers from 31 countries participated in a colorful parade yesterday in the town of Pedasi.

Costa Rica has sent her best young wave riders to Panama, and should they manage to score more gold medals than the rest of the competing teams, they will also bring back an additional honor: a trophy from Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

While surfing is not an Olympic competitive discipline, the ISA has been pushing for inclusion of the aquatic sport into the Summer Games. Surfing is usually associated with “extreme” sports like snowboarding and BMX, and those two are now Olympic events due to their status as “disciplines.” Snowboarding and BMX are disciplines derived from skiing and bicycle racing, respectively.

Fernando Aguerre, President of the ISA, points out that the popularity of surfing should transcend the huge marketing appeal of the sport as a lifestyle. Surfing is the basis for a huge industry that puts food on many tables around the world. From clothing and accessory manufacturers to tourism operators and from professional surfers to film producers, surfing is a billion-dollar industry that deserves Olympic recognition, particularly at a time when the IOC is dedicated to empowering young citizens around the world with competitions like the  2014 Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China.

The fact that IOC President Jacques Rogge has decided to recognize the young wave riders at the DaKine/ISA World Junior Surfing Championship is an auspicious sign that Costa Rica could one day send a top-notch athlete like Carlos Munoz, or the young stars who are in Panama now, to an Olympic surfing competition.

In the last World Junior Surfing Championship in Peru, the team from Costa Rica did not earn enough medals to rank among the top ten teams. The team from Peru took advantage of their mastery over the local swells and managed to break the supremacy held by Australia over six championships.

Bruno Carvalho and Manuel Mesen will be the first Ticos to surf the initial qualifying heats, which will run from today until April 22. Costa Rica will face teams from the Peru, Portugal, the United States, and Uruguay in all divisions.