In recent years, the flag adorning Connor O’Leary’s rash-shirt as he competed in World Surf League (WSL) competitions has evolved. Where once the Cronulla-born surfer sported an Australian flag on each shoulder, in 2021 surfing’s governing body gave him permission to wear both an Australian and Japanese flag. Then, last year, the Australian flag disappeared entirely as O’Leary completed his switch.
In interviews, O’Leary often thanks his fans back home in an ocker Australian accent, before switching to fluent Japanese to acknowledge his multinational support base. For O’Leary, the changing flags reflect an evolving willingness to embrace his multi-faceted identity. “I would have loved to have kept both flags,” O’Leary tells Guardian Australia. “But for now it’s all Japanese.”
