To be honest, I would rather not have surfing be an olympic sport. First of all, Olympic sports and surfing are very different (This could also be argued with snowboarding). Surfing is only possible in the ocean during a significant swell. If surfing would've been in Atlanta in '96 the most feasible location would probably have beent the East Coast; not much surf there.
Gymnastics, for example, can be done indoors at the Games' convenience, with all the sport's stars there. Surfing has the WCT and WQS as its own Olympics. During summer, many of the surfing's top 'athletes', are trying to qualify for the Tour. Having surfing in the Olympics would wreak havoc on the Tour's already few sponsors' exposure.
Sydney has the potential to be surfing's Olympic coming-out party. It has good surf spots bunched up together along its coastline. If surfing does become an Olympic sport, Sydney is the ideal city to test its mainstream staying power.
However, every big contest has a waiting period of about a month. If at any time during a more popular sport's finals a swell arrives, then all anybody will see is a two minute highlight piece set to hard rock.
-Do you think the surfing community would welcome it? Why or Why not?
The majority of the surfing world would probably welcome it. Surfing magazine's readership would definitely welcome it, as seen in their letters. In my opinion, the best (and most intellectual) surf magazine is SURFER (Pre-Evan Slater era). In past issues, they have debated both for and against having the sport of surfing in the Olympics. They finally reached a decision: No. "The 'sport' is more of a dance and an art form" can be read in one of Steve Hawk's (former editor of SURFER) many thought-out intros. It does not need to be over-commercialized. It is not a team sport. There are no points involved. No statistics except for number of waves and barrel rides. It's you playing in the ocean and sometimes fighting against it. It's your power in cooperation with Mother Nature's. It's more spiritual than a lot of sports out there that require engines, balls, or sticks. It's not something that needs to be sold and over-exposed to the landlubbing masses.
-What can be gained from it?
Money. More television coverage means more visibility for company logos. More impressionable preteens buying these products and, theoretically, more money for the surfers. This will also equate to more crowds in the lineup as time goes on.
On the upside, good surfers from third-world countries will get the exposure and, in turn, the sponsor money and equipment that they deserve.
-How would this affect surfing in any way? Do you think anything is being taken away from it?
Its innocence is being taken away. By whoring the 'sport' to the mainstream audience of Olympics viewers, we are just asking for more crowds in the future and less tolerance for soul surfers. Soul surfers, in my opinion, are the pillar of surfing's integrity. Once that is gone, surfing will turn into just another sport and the special feeling, or stoke, some surfers have for surfing will be greatly diminished.