The 2024 Paris Olympics has chosen Tahiti as the site for its surfing events arguing that the waves are more dependable than the French coast, despite being nearly 10,000 miles (more than 15,000km) from the host city.
Tahiti is part of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity, which is an administrative division of France with semi-autonomous status. The International Olympic Committee still has to approve the choice, but Paris organisers believed the famous waves at Teahupo’o in Tahiti – among the most spectacular and powerful in the world – meant it would be a more predictable wave site than the Atlantic coast of France.
Weather analysis has shown that over the past 10 years, catching a big wave has been more than five times more likely in Polynesia than on France’s west coast.
The Paris committee said Teahupo’o had “one of the most beautiful waves in the world”.
The decision was disappointing for towns competing to host surfing in France, including Biarritz, which hosted the G7 summit this year.
Some had argued that hosting surfing so far away from the centre of the games in Paris would not be environmentally sound in terms of the carbon footprint of travel. A flight from Paris to Polynesia takes about 20 hours.
But officials dismissed that concern, arguing that only 48 surfers would compete – 24 men and 24 women – and some would come from Australia or New Zealand so would not have to travel far. About 1,500 spectators can be catered for, which is thought to be 10 times less than would have watched the surfing in Biarritz or Lacanau on the west coast.
There was also a feeling in France that Tahiti would look very good for TV viewers with its turquoise waves.
The French surfer Jérémy Florès, based in Polynesia, told France Info: “At that time of year there are gigantic swells practically every week so it’s going to be a beautiful sight.”
Surfing was added as an Olympic sport at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in what the International Surfing Association president said was a game-changing moment for the sport.
Paris 2024
(@Paris2024)L’une des plus belles vagues au monde pour des Jeux spectaculaires! Paris 2024 choisit la vague de Teahupo’o à Tahiti pour accueillir l’épreuve de Surf ! Prochaine étape : validation du CIO. #EnRoutepourParis2024 pic.twitter.com/savLeWgmTi