It is the most picturesque venue of the Games
Long before events at the Paris 2024 Olympics got underway, the games set an unusual record.
The selection of Teanhupo’o, Tahiti in French Polynesia as the location of the surfing event sets the record for the furthest competition from a host city in Olympic history.
The venue is nearly 10,000 miles from the epicentre of the Games in Paris.
The surfing which begins on Saturday, July 27 will take place against a backdrop of mountains covered in lush rainforest and sparkling, clear blue waters.
However, since it was announced as the host of the event, it has been shrouded in controversy.
Locals and environmentalists alike condemned the construction of a $5m aluminium judges’ tower in the reef.
The wooden tower already in place was deemed unsafe but locals warned that the Aluminium structure could damage the reef and affect the surf.
There were concerns over the event’s carbon footprint and worries over the number of competitors, spectators and organisers and where they would stay.
The tiny village, known locally as ‘The End of the Road’ is too small to house the expected influx of people.
Event organisers have made several compromises to try and keep everyone happy including building a smaller tower and hiring a 126m-long cruise ship to house competitors and officials in a floating athlete village.
Speaking of the new tower, Paris 2024 organisers said: “The new tower, less imposing and reduced in size and weight, installed on new permanent foundations, is the solution that will ensure the longevity of the tower and guarantee that future sporting events can be held at Teahupo’o.”
Team GB’s surfing performance coach, Luke Dillon, hopes the setting of this event will entice more people to the sport.
He said: “The inaugural event in Tokyo did nothing to bring people to the sport. With the swell, the mountains and the background, it’s going to look amazing. Teahupo’o really is stunning and has some of the best surf in the world.”
Unfortunately, there are no surfers representing Team GB in this Olympics after Sky Brown narrowly missed out on qualifying.
She had hoped to compete in both surfing and skateboarding, but she missed out at the ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico by one heat.
The chair of GB Surfing, Vicky Gosling only took up her position mid-cycle but she has delivered notable success with GB Snowsport.
She said: “There are similarities there. It’s not like we haven’t got the surfers. They just haven’t been given the opportunity to get that time in the water.”
Gosling along with Dan Hunt, formerly of British Cycling, Team Sky, Premier League and GB Snowsport, launched the GB Surfing Progression Squad in November last year, backing five young athletes including British reigning men’s champion Stan Norman, Ellie Turner and 16-year-old Lukas Skinner.
It is hoped they will qualify for Los Angeles in four years’ time.
Related links:
