(Reuters) – The residents of the village in Tahiti hosting the 2024 Olympic surfing event are still against the construction of a new smaller judging tower on the reef. They believe it will harm the corals and endanger the health of the lagoon. Locals from Teahupo’o protested last month against the plans to build a new 14-meter aluminum tower and a permanent 800m service pipeline to accommodate up to 40 people to watch, film, and judge the surfing competition.
Paris 2024 and the French Polynesia government said this month that they had decided to build a new tower that is “less imposing and substantially reduced in size and weight” after discussing issues raised by various stakeholders. The new tower will be the same size and location as an older wooden tower that has been used by surfing’s professional world tour for its annual Teahupo’o event for years, allowing smaller equipment to install it on site.
Although some facilities will be removed or made temporary, new permanent foundations will still be needed for the tower to be certified, which is essential for insurance purposes, according to organisers. However, a group including local environmental organizations, residents, and surfers said the planned compromise does not adequately address their concerns.
In a video on social media, famed local surfer Matahi Drollet expressed skepticism, saying, “For me, it seems impossible to build 12 new foundations without destroying the reef,” and asking organisers for evidence that existing foundations were not up to standard. Mati Hoffann, a maritime works manager who worked on installing the original tower, also expressed concern, saying drilling new foundations represented a “considerable risk” for the reef.
Paris 2024 did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours. Drollet and other residents did not comment on whether further protests or other measures were planned but said they wanted their message to reach French President Emmanuel Macron and the minister of the environment. Drollet emphasized, “We are just trying to spread the message that no contest in this world is worth the destruction of nature. That goes against the true value of surfing and sport in general.”
(Reporting by Lincoln Feast in Sydney; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
