new concerns about the holding of the surfing event in Polynesia

The International Surfing Federation (ISA) welcomed on Wednesday December 6 the decision of the Polynesian government to suspend work on the Teahupo’o 2024 Olympics site, reviving questions about the controversial holding of the events in Tahiti.

During technical tests on Friday, filmed by environmental defense associations, a barge planned for the installation of a new judges’ tower broke coral, pushing the Polynesian government to pause the work.

In a press release released on Wednesday, the ISA, responsible for organizing the Olympic event as an international federation, “welcomed this decision and invited to intensify discussions to examine all possible options”.

“Since the beginning of the process of organizing the Olympic surfing events in French Polynesia, the ISA has always insisted that the protection of the natural site of Teahupo’o was a priority”added the institution saying “saddened and surprised” damage inflicted on corals during the tests.

A revived debate

Chosen in 2020, the Teahupo’o site, known worldwide for its famous wave and its transparent waters, has for months been at the heart of tensions between the Polynesian government, the organizers of the Olympic Games and local residents.

The initial project to install an aluminum judges’ tower to replace the wooden one – which was no longer up to standard, according to the organization – had already raised strong opposition, with associations believing that it risked degrading the seabed. .

In mid-November, the organizers and the Polynesian government had therefore revised their copy with a project for a lighter tower in order to “limit damage to the environment as much as possible”.

Opponents of the new tower

This compromise was, however, far from unanimous, with more and more famous international surfers siding in recent days with the opponents of the new tower.

“It doesn’t make sense to need such a giant tower for a two-day event”wrote Kelly Slater, legend of the discipline and multiple world champion, on her social networks.

“After seeing the video, I realized how much damage this “new tower” could cause. I thought they would take the local environment into account better, but I was wrong”lamented the Japanese Kanoa Igarashi, Olympic vice-champion in Tokyo.

At the beginning of November, the president of French Polynesia Moetai Brotherson spoke out in favor of a change of venue, considering moving the event to Taharu’u, less renowned and easier to access than Teahupo’o.

Moetai Brotherson has since admitted that moving the competition to another Tahitian wave was not possible “since it was Teahupo’o’s candidacy which was submitted”. And moving the event to a wave in France would amount to “several billion Pacific francs” (several million euros), he warned.

Lacanau and La Torche position themselves

During the process of choosing the Olympic site, five territories officially applied. The sites of Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), La Torche (Finistère), the Landes department (Hossegor, Capbreton and Seignosse) and finally Lacanau (Gironde) had been excluded in favor of French Polynesia.

Those in charge of those of Lacanau and La Torche declared on Wednesday that they were prepared to host the event in the event that it could not be held in Tahiti. “We continued to work quietly and today if we are called upon, we will of course be happy to host the Olympic surfing events”declared Laurent Peyrondet, the mayor of the commune of Lacanau.

“If we are asked, we won’t say no”, said Stéphane Le Doaré, mayor of Pont-l’Abbé and president of the community of communes of Pays Bigouden Sud, in charge of the La Torche site. When questioned, the Landes department did not wish to comment at this stage and Biarritz did not respond.