Olympics: Why is surfing being held in Tahiti and why aren’t locals happy?

Teahupo’o is 15,730km from Paris, making it the furthest away a venue has ever been from host city

Although Paris was selected as the host city for the 2024 Olympics, not all the events will take place in the French capital.

Football is spread throughout the country, while sailing events are taking place in Marseille, but none of those are as far removed as the venue for this year’s surfing.

That will be staged in Teahupo’o, a village on the southwestern coast of the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, some 15,730 kilometres from Paris. It is, by quite some distance, the furthest an Olympic venue has ever been from the host city.

And not everyone is happy about it, with waves of local backlash since the decision was announced. But why is the event taking place on the other side of the world, and what benefits, if any, might there be?

Where is Tahiti?

Tahiti is in the central South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Australia and California. The area is around 1,000 square kilometres in size, slightly smaller than Hong Kong.

It is part of French Polynesia, a semi-autonomous French territory comprising 118 islands and atolls. The island became a French protectorate in 1842.

Travelling from Paris to Papeete, a major city on the island, usually takes more than 20 hours, as most flights are not direct.

Several non-stop flights do operate from Papeete to Paris, and the 16½-hour flying time holds the record for the world’s longest commercial domestic flight.

Why does it have to be Teahupo’o?

A simple answer is the waves – surfers cannot compete without heavy waves.

Teahupo’o is revered among surfers for its massive, glassy waves offshore. An extremely shallow coral reef near the village is a natural surf break, causing hollow waves of two to three metres, and sometimes up to seven metres.

The village has hosted world-class surf competitions for decades, including the World Surf League Championship Tour ending in May.

According to officials, the choice of location also aligns with Paris 2024’s ambition of engaging French overseas territories and their community, while showcasing the country’s rich and diverse heritage.

How will the Olympics change Teahupo’o?

In preparation for the Games, new roads and housing were built, along with an aluminium judging tower.

A 1,615 square feet (150 square metres) tower was proposed to replace an existing wooden tower stand that had served as the base for temporary judging towers for the professional surfing events.

Organisers planned to spend US$5 million to build a bigger and safer space for judges, officers and journalists, with air conditioning and toilets. However, that meant drilling into the reef to lay a concrete foundation, with the permanent installation of several underwater pipes and internet cables.

Such construction threatened corals, posing further risks to the marine ecosystem – including that of people poisoned by eating fish contaminated with a type of microalgae that could result.

How do local people feel about it?

The plan, especially the tower part, triggered strong resistance from local communities.

People were concerned the construction would cause untold damage to the reef, marine life and even the waves themselves – the initial reason the village was picked for the event.

In October 2023, more than 400 residents and surfers gathered at the town hall and walked to the tip of the surf bay, to protest against the tower construction plan.

An online petition calling for a rethink of the plan got more than 250,000 signatures.

What was the response?

Organisers reassessed all other options and concluded that using or renovating the existing wooden tower was impossible, citing safety concerns.

In a statement last November, officials decided to build a new tower, but with some modifications: it would be smaller and lighter, to reduce the load on the foundation, and would be installed on the same site as the wooden tower.

Surfing’s world governing body, the International Surfing Association, responded with another proposal in December, seeking the possibility of judging the competition remotely, with live images shot from land, water and drones.

However, the local government decided to stick with the plan of building the modified new tower.

In March, the new tower was in place, two weeks ahead of schedule.

Where will competitors stay?

According to reports, 98% of the people coming for the Olympics will stay at locals’ homes, though all the surfers will be staying on a cruise ship.