The Paris 2024 organizing committee president said Thursday he still wants the surfing competition at next year鈥檚 Olympics to take place in Tahiti despite the controversy surrounding the construction of the judging tower at the site, where coral has been damaged.
Speaking to local media Polynesie La Premiere, Tony Estanguet said he鈥檚 going to pour 鈥渁ll (his) energy鈥� to keep the surfing in French Polynesia at the Tahiti site of Teahupo鈥檕.
Because Teahupo鈥檕鈥檚 surf breaks offshore, the Olympic judges have to be out in the lagoon. Organizers intend to install them and television cameras on that will be attached to the reef.
That plan has sparked protests in Tahiti, with critics fearing for coral and other marine life. That criticism reached another level last week after coral was damaged when organizers tried to test out a barge used to build the tower in the surfing lagoon, leading local authorities to halt the construction.
鈥淲e need to find a solution to respect environment,鈥� Estanguet said. 鈥淎s organizers, we need to adapt.鈥�
Critics on the island have voiced fears for coral reefs, fish and other aquatic life when the tower鈥檚 foundations are drilled into the seabed and mounted on concrete. Islanders pushed for the Olympics to use a wooden tower on existing foundations that have long been the setup for surfing competitions at Teahupo鈥檕. They have collected more than 160,000 signatures with
But Estanguet said the old judging tower does not meet Olympic standards for security reasons.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to compromise on safety 鈥� we won鈥檛 put anyone鈥檚 safety at risk,鈥� Estanguet said.
He added that solutions will be find a way to let the barge access the site without damaging the coral reef.
Surfing鈥檚 governing body ISA said it 鈥渨as saddened and surprised to see that a test undertaken by the French Polynesian government resulted in the coral reef at Teahupo鈥檕 being damaged.鈥�
ISA also welcomed the decision to pause all further testing and 鈥渦rged intensified consultations to consider all available options.鈥�
The French towns of Lacanau and La Torche in continental France have both proposed to host the Games鈥� surfing events if the Tahiti site is finally abandoned. Estanguet said it鈥檚 not an option for now.
鈥淎s a partner of the Polynesian government I want to put all my energy鈥�. to find the best solutions so we can have the surfing events in Tahiti,鈥� Estanguet said. 鈥淲e still have a bit of time to find another technical solution to have this tower installed while respecting the environment. This is the priority we all share.鈥�
For France, the Tahitian venue will allow the host country to highlight its long historical ties to the Pacific and involve its far-off overseas territories in the Summer Games.
But the faraway Tahiti venue has also raised logistical and environmental questions because the rest of the , nearly 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles) and 10 time zones away.
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AP coverage of the Paris Olympics:
Samuel Petrequin, The Associated Press
