The International Surfing Association announced Sunday that the World Surfing Games will return to Japan next year and serve as the first direct qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Games, where the sport will make its Olympic debut.
The top eligible man and woman from Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania in the Sept. 7-15, 2019, event at Miyazaki Prefecture's Kisakihama Beach in southeastern Kyushu will automatically qualify for Tokyo 2020.
Surfers from the Americas will qualify based on their results at the 2019 Pan American Games.