TEAHUPO'O, Tahiti, French Polynesia (Thursday, August 17, 2023) - João Chianca (BRA) has qualified through the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The 22-year-old will represent Brazil in his Olympic debut.
Chianca will be one of the 18 surfers to provisionally qualify through the WSL CT. With an incredible season-long performance and a CT event win, Chianca solidified his place as one of the top-ranked Brazilians on tour. He is currently ranked No. 4 in the world.
Chianca was raised in Saquarema, Brazil, and quickly became one of surfing's hottest rising stars. He fought his way up the professional surfing ladder, qualifying for the Championship Tour in 2021. Chianca's 2022 rookie CT season included stand-out heat performances, but he could not get the results needed to make the Mid-Season Cut. This relegated Chianca back to the Challenger Series, where he would have to re-qualify for the CT. In the face of adversity, Chianca came back stronger and re-earned his place on the elite tour for the 2023 season. Chianca has had undeniable success since his return, placing within the top ten for all but one CT event this year. With 3rd place finishes at the Billabong Pro Pipeline, Hurley Pro Sunset Beach, and Margaret River Pro, and his first CT win at the MEO Rip Curl Portugal Pro, Chianca has become one of the most dominant surfers in the world.
Surfing will return to the Olympic Games after making its 2020 Olympic debut in Tokyo. The 2024 Olympics will be held on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti at Teahupo'o, the iconic wave known for massive barrels, heavy drops, and a shallow reef. This will be familiar to the WSL surfers as it is the featured stop on the WSL CT and the next stop on the 2023 CT season.
The WSL CT, the highest level of competitive surfing that crowns the World Champions, is surfing's tier-one qualifier for the 2024 Olympic Games. WSL will provisionally qualify the first ten men and eight women for Paris 2024. Learn more about Surfing's Olympic Qualification process.
Watch Chianca compete for a World Title at the Rip Curl WSL Finals from September 8 - 16, 2023. Once called on, the competitions will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL's YouTube Channel, and the free WSL app. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL's broadcast partners here.