2023-11-08 12:34:33
In Teahupo’o, a legendary surf spot in French Polynesia, the construction of a referee tower for the Olympic Games event has created controversy. The president, Moetai Brotherson, is considering changing the location of the sliding competition.
The protest does not fall back on Tahiti. The President of French Polynesia, Moetai Brotherson, is considering moving the surfing event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to a spot other than the legendary Teahupo’o, he said on Tuesday, November 7. The construction of a judges’ tower, in the middle of the lagoon, arouses controversy. Environmentalists, surfers and residents of the village famous worldwide for its powerful waves are mobilizing against this new work. Made of aluminum, it would be built in the water especially for the Olympics event, which could, according to them, degrade the seabed and harm the biodiversity of the site.
Moetai Brotherson, who shares these fears, rules out the use of this tower and plans to organize the event in Taharuu, a less renowned but easier to access site, on the west coast of Tahiti. “It’s a beach-break (a beach where the waves break and break on a sandy bottom, editor’s note), equipped with all the infrastructure on land,” he said. During an interview on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum, in Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands, the Polynesian president recalled that this spot had already been considered. “This would have allowed us to avoid the problems we have today. At the time this was not possible. Given the issues and the protest, perhaps we can revise this option,” he underlined.
A risk of coral “exploding”
The object of wrath measures fourteen meters in height. The refereeing tower should have three floors, internet and toilets. Already built, it has not yet been installed on site. The cost of the project is estimated at nearly 4.4 million euros.
“I don’t see where we could get the barge through [de la foreuse] without exploding coral,” explained Moetai Brotherson. For the Head of State, the only solution is to approve for the Olympic Games the wooden tower used in the competitions of the world surfing circuit in Teahupo’o. The Olympic organizing committee justifies the project for security reasons, the 13.50 meter wooden tower no longer being up to standard.
Surfer Matahi Drollet warns of the project to build a 14-metre air-conditioned tower with internet and toilets for €4.4 million #Tahiti in order to welcome the judges of the 2024 Olympic surfing event. Its construction could cause damage to the coral.… pic.twitter.com/ipBJs7o7bo
— Anonymous Citizen (@AnonymousCitoyen) October 30, 2023
The technical team working on this hypothesis should make a decision on November 15. According to the President of French Polynesia, it will also be necessary to determine whether the deadlines for calls for tenders and compliance are tenable. Local surfer Matahi Drollet and the site’s defense association, Vai Ara o Teahupo’o, launched a petition against the project. As of Tuesday, November 7, more than 147,000 signatures had been collected.
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