2023-11-02 11:50:59
Conditions for awarding contracts, requisitioning of student accommodation in return for low compensation… The organization of the 2024 Olympic Games in the capital is not lacking in controversies. She’s even making waves… in Tahiti, where the surfing events will take place. The construction of a new tower for judges at the Teahupo’o competition site is causing concern among associations and local residents about the integrity of the marine ecosystem.
Published on: 02/11/2023 – 10:50
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Paris 2024 may have high environmental ambitions, but its site development choices are not spared from controversies, particularly in symbolic places like Tahiti, where the conditions for holding surfing events in Teahupo’o, July 27 to 30, 2024, provoked the mobilization of defenders of the preservation of the lagoon. The object of their concern: the tower planned to accommodate the competition jury, which would cause too much damage to the underwater ecosystem.
Made of aluminum, three stories high and 14 m high, this tower, built approximately 250 meters from the famous wave, would replace the demountable wooden tower used since 2008 during the stage of the annual Cup circuit. of the surfing world. The new equipment, left as a legacy of the Games, would be modernized, with an air-conditioned technical room for internet connection and toilets equipped with a drainage system, all connected to land by an 800-meter underwater pipeline and 20 cm in diameter.
Focus on transparency
Estimated cost of the project: 4.4 million euros. But the cost is even greater for nature, estimate local environmental associations. This tower will in fact require concrete foundations and therefore underwater drilling, which is harmful to the coral reef. The mythical wave could also be affected, like biodiversity, because certain species of fish typical of Polynesia may not survive the work. In short, an overall impact considered disproportionate for only four days of events.
Faced with this opposition, the Games Organizing Committee wants to be reassuring, but also says that it has no choice. « Question of safety and standards », explains the head of the Games Organizing Committee, Tony Estanguet. The wooden tower, previously used, no longer complies with the regulations specific to the archipelago and the strict specifications of the IOC on the number of officials necessary on site and the technical means for the quality of broadcasting of the competition.
Guarantees were certainly given: a design office specializing in the marine environment led the reflection on the new building, and the service companies focused on transparency by presenting the terms of the future project. And Paris 2024 assures us: the project can still be improved to respond to residents’ concerns. But if Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson and certain leaders of local associations want to believe it, the anger of part of the population remains very real.
Renovate the existing
A demonstration brought together 400 people in Teahupo’o on October 15. The next day a petition was launched which has collected nearly 127,000 signatures to date. Even more popular, the alert launched by professional surfer Matahi Drollet via a video on Instagram viewed nearly 8 million times. The demand is simple: remain on the principle of the wooden tower by renovating it on existing plots, relying on photovoltaic panels for energy supply, WiFi for communications and dry toilets.
Which option will ultimately prevail, given the time limit before the Games? A local working group is expected to issue new findings in a few days, hoping to find a compromise that would avoid a groundswell of protests.
Also read: Can the Olympic Games be green?
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