43 surfing high performance P Total investment 2016–17: $1,567,900 (high performance: $925,000; participation $450,000; other $192,900) ASC funding as a percentage of total income: 25% Australian surfing continued to deliver strong international performances in 2016. The announcement of inclusion in the Olympic Games was very exciting news for the sport, and planning is well underway. The benchmark event is the annual WSL competition which is a series of events and the overall standing at the end of the year decides the world title. Tyler Wright was dominant in the women’s WSL clinching her maiden world title in 2016 winning five out 10 events. At just 22 years old she is well positioned to continue this form over the next few years leading into Tokyo. Overall there were 13 podium finishes throughout the year from five female athletes with Stephanie Gilmore, Sally Fitzgibbons and Laura Enever all finishing in the top 10. The men were unable to reach the podium in the overall world title ranking but had 14 podium finishes throughout the year from eight athletes, and three of those athletes Matt Wilkinson, Julian Wilson and Joel Parkinson finished in the top 10. There is strong leadership in place and with entry now confirmed to the Tokyo Olympics, this presents both a significant opportunity and challenge to staff. Innovation is core of the sports philosophy and is limited only by resource and time. There is strong evidence of Surfing Australia working collaboratively with other sports in this area and in the increasing use of skate ramp facilities and wave pools. Governance commentary Surfing has made significant progress on becoming more compliant with the ASC’s Mandatory Sports Governance Principles, particularly around board composition and operation. The sport has undertaken a board evaluation and increased the gender balance on the board, and should continue to focus on developing its sports science and sports medicine framework. 2016 benchmark event // ASP Tour medal target 2–3 actual gold 1 silver 0 bronze 0 total 1