The contest site for the 2020 Games was announced to be Shidashita Beach, or “Shida”, located about 40 miles (64 km) outside of Tokyo. To ensure quality surf, the contest will feature a waiting period of 16 days. Once the event runs, it will take two days to finish the competition 20 of both the worlds top twenty men and women will compete at this inaugural event.

The surfers will use competition boards, which are very light and usually shorter than the rider. Surfers generally find a these quick to manoeuvre compared with other types of surfboards, but because of a lack of flotation due to the smaller size, the shortboard is harder to catch waves with, often requiring steeper, larger and more powerful waves and very late takeoffs, where the surfer catches the wave at the critical moment before it breaks.