French Polynesia is getting ready to welcome the 24 surfers, from 21 different countries, from July 27 to 30. Depending on the swell, the competition may last until August 5.
TAHITI: France play at home...
18,000 km from Paris, the host city of Teahupo'o in southern Tahiti is determined to remain Teahupo'o, with a minimal human footprint on nature. Hence the choice of ephemeral accommodation and restricted access to the PK0 site, which is reserved for accreditation holders.
Half of the surfers stay in the "Olympic Village", i.e. on board the mixed cargo ship Aranui anchored in Vairao Bay, close to the competition site. Teahupo'o-based delegations such as the Brazilians, Americans and French sleep ashore.
Once upon a time...surfing
Although surfing was only introduced to the Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020, it appears in the logbooks of the first navigators, who observed the practice with astonishment and admiration in...Polynesia. James Cook describes Hawaiian surfers on one of his voyages during makahiki, a propitious period during which the locals, who lived in a permanent state of war, granted themselves a truce for the harvest and for the games. The latter provided an opportunity to challenge one another, with chiefs demonstrating their superiority and divine status by facing the highest waves on planks.
Teahupo'o, the grail forsurfers!
The Teahupo'o wave is one of the most recognizable waves on the World Surf League (WSL) world circuit calendar, offering surfers a unique encounter with an extraordinary element. The location, the breath of the wave, the very real danger of this wave running aground on a reef less than a metre deep, its giant tubular shape (you could fit two trucks inside) make it certainly one of the most beautiful waves in the world. Of course, surfers are subject to the vagaries of the weather, which can lead to a lack of waves or, on the contrary, waves that are too powerful and dangerous. But there's no question of using an artificial wave for an Olympic surfing event. Too bad if the conditions aren't right on the big day, because surfing is random and you never know if La Vague will be there.
Among the four French representatives in the surfing event at the PARIS 2024 Olympics, there's a good chance that one of them will win a medal and make this little unspoilt tropical paradise at the end of the road that is Teahupo'o shine.
In all likelihood, this Olympic round in Teahupoo should conclude this weekend, with the quarters - including the eagerly-awaited face-off between the two Frenchies Joan Duru and Kauli Vaast... and Johanne Defay vs Vahine Fierro... the semis, the finals for 3rd place and the two finals for gold.
Article written by Phil Fogg
