Aussie Pro Surfer Connor O'Leary Switches to Team Japan in Backdoor Olympic Bid

Dashel Pierson
·2 min read

Nationality is a big deal, when it comes to the Olympics.

And it’s not just because of the inherent glory that comes with representing one’s home country. It also plays a factor in qualification for the Games – for instance, in surfing, for the Paris 2024 Olympics, each country is allotted two spots per country, per gender.

Which is why some folks decide to dig deep into their roots, and qualify via representation of a country that they may not live in, but they have familial ties to. The latest? Aussie pro surfer Connor O’Leary, who just joined Team Japan.

Although he grew up in Cronulla, Australia, O’Leary was born to a Japanese mother. In fact, his mom, Akemi Karasawa, was a former Japanese surfing champion.

As for the switch in nationality, O’Leary told SBS Japanese:

"To be able to qualify for Australia would be great as well, but with where I am at in my career, [representing Japan is] such a great way to expand my horizon.

“I spent lot of times as a kid, putting my Japanese heritage behind me to try and fit in with the Australian culture and fit in at school.

“As I have grown older, I’ve matured and realized being multicultural is something so special. How cool is it to be Australian but also Japanese, and I just want to highlight that.”

With the nationality change, and a current Championship Tour ranking of 11th, that means O’Leary will likely provisionally qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

He’ll represent Japan alongside Kanoa Igarashi.

Of course, the whole game of nationality musical chairs is somewhat controversial. Like, with up-and-coming 15-year-old Erin Brooks, who was banned from Team Canada after the Hawaiian born surfer hadn’t solidified her citizenship before representing the country in International Surfing Association (ISA) events.

But it looks like, for now, O’Leary is in the clear for the land of the rising sun.

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