Surfing returns to the Olympics at the 2024 Paris Games. Read on to learn about the competition format that will be used.

A total of 48 surfers (24 men, 24 women) will compete at this year's Olympic Games. Most nations can qualify a maximum of two men and two women, though several countries are able to take three men and/or three women by virtue of winning the team event at the 2022 or 2024 World Surfing Games. For more details, check out our article on Olympic surfing qualification.

The window for surfing at the 2024 Olympic Games lasts for nine days, starting on Saturday, July 27 and ending on Sunday, August 4. The competition will take place across four days during that window, with wave conditions dictating which days are used for competition.

The Olympic surfing competition will feature six rounds: Rounds 1, 2 and 3, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

Round 1 will consist of eight heats of three surfers each. The winner of each heat advances directly to Round 3, while the other two surfers go to Round 2. In Round 2, there will be eight heats of two surfers, with the winner advancing to Round 3 and the loser getting eliminated.

Starting with Round 3, also known as the Round of 16, the competition functions as a single-elimination, head-to-head bracket. Each heat will feature two surfers, with the winner advancing to the next round and the loser getting eliminated. The losers of the two semifinal heats will compete in the bronze medal match.

During each heat, athletes will be scored on their two-best waves. The athlete with the highest total score will win the heat. For more details, check out our article on scoring and judging in Olympic surfing.

At the start of every competition day, the technical director will assess the wave conditions and decide the duration of each heat. Heats can last between 15 and 45 minutes.

Surfers can ride as many waves as they want during a heat. Athletes alternate who has "priority" for each wave.

At the beginning of a heat every wave is up for grabs, so any surfer can charge onto an oncoming swell and ride it. Once the first wave is attempted, a priority order is established and announced, with the rider who just surfed the first wave at the end of the order. Priority throughout the heat is determined by a specific judge who uses factors such as time arrived at the breaking point. This is why viewers will often see "paddle battles" when competitors ride waves close to each other, as they'll race back to the takeoff zone to try to claim the priority position. The surfer with priority has unconditional right of way to any wave they choose. Once they attempt a wave, priority will go to the next surfer in the rotation. If another surfer gets in the way the person with priority or takes a wave they are attempting to ride, that surfer will be penalized. This means that surfers without the priority position must both decide if they want to charge onto a wave, and ensure that their opponent is not attempting it as well.