Local Teahupoo Surfers Protest New Olympics Tower
Beginning in July next year, the surfing for the Paris 2024 Olympics will be held 15,000kms away in Tahiti.
Teahupoo locals have known about this for a while with Games organisers going to lengths to show the small village won't be overrun by crowds or infrastructure. The official Paris website states that there'll be minimal disturbance as "the small-scale overlay installations set up for the Games will disappear after the competition."
Added to that point, however, was this detail: "...with the exception of the new judges’ tower. Once built, it will allow French Polynesia to benefit from an infrastructure that will enable it to host major surfing events after the Games."
The old wooden tower, the vantage point for many a Tahiti Pro camera operator and judge, will be torn down and replaced with the new one - a $5 million permanent aluminium tower.
It's been a touchy topic since it was first raised with locals today displaying opposition with a protest walk from the marina to the point.
Matahi Drollet rallied the troops on Instagram, writing: "This peaceful walk is NOT against the Olympic Games but it’s is against THE NEW ALUMINIUM JUDGING TOWER they want to build on the reef. This is going to damage the reef and the whole ecosystem of the lagoon in front of the wave… and in the worst case scenario the wave of Teahupo’o also."
"The Ocean and the lagoon is the most precious place we have here. This is where we get our food from, where we play, where’s we spend most of our time and where we have the most perfect wave in the world. It’s a heritage of our ancestors that we need to preserve. Our association that regroups Fisherman’s, farmers, surfers, the population of Teahupo’o, younger older people … we are against this new tower. We want them to use the normal judging tower that WSL uses every year. It works perfectly fine and they need to adapt to our environment and listen to what us locals say."
It's not the first transgression by the five ring circus as Mateia Hiquily has posted videos and photos of the kalo/taro fields behind the village being flattened and replaced by crushed gravel and concrete awaiting catering trucks and miscellaneous electronic equipment for the three days the contest runs.
Comments
Pave Paradise and put up a parking lot
Bet they are happy to take to cash involved though.
Another comment based on head noises
valid point.. its a double edge sword
nuts, they should feel privileged to use the iconic existing structure.. after yeppoon, it is the steam-punkiest thing in surf.
Seems shocking but with little thought I'm not actually surprised. It is the Olympics after all. The WSL doesn't come close to comparing to the Olympics and their logistics and safety measures would be way above the WSL.
All judging towers, at all iconic reef breaks around the world, should be pulled down. With drone and FHD camera technology now there is no need for eyeballs to be so close.
The IOC will do exactly as it pleases as they have for decades. There will be no consideration for culture, history or locals view. Only what will make good television, which translates to good money! How can they promise that the area won't be over run when there will be media and it's circus from every country in the world. Paradise about to be lost!
The contest goes for three days and the 'lympics need 350 staff on hand. None of that number includes athletes, coaches, or miscellaneous hangers-on.
Huge operation.
I'd be interested to know how the construction method of the first one never damaged the reef and how this one differs. Is Aluminium the issue?
Possibly. Will also have permanent footings, cablings and pipes, the latter two supposedly always visible above the tide line.
Not sure the reef will be damaged, however it'll be a permanent blemish on the reef.
If the locals say no, that should be the end of the discussion.
That is not how big business works. If they don't want the tower, they should not have done a deal with the devil.
Yep, but sounds like the devil was in the details on this one which blindsided the local crew.
I really don't get why they even bother with surfing in the Olympics anyway (especially given they are literally on the other side of the earth - I mean at midday Paris time it is midnight in Tahiti). But its like cricket or soccer, why include it, they have their respective globally based competitions and "World Champ" titles.
But then screw the locals over in process - especially in a colony of France - Wow wee!
The Olympics is trying to move with the times I guess, BMX, skateboarding etc. have been included more recently. Surfing is hard enough to make a contest out of at the best of times, at least in conditions that are needed for good quality competitive surfing.
Sold out , sell outs