The Paris 2024 Olympic Games kicked off with a bang, featuring an opening ceremony that generated plenty of buzz. Notably, there’s historic gender parity at this event, along with some controversies surrounding sports like soccer. However, one discipline that is already making waves is Olympic surfing, as it’s taking place almost 10,000 miles away from Paris and at one of the most dangerous places on Earth.
Surfing at the Summer Olympics
Surfing made its inaugural appearance at the 2020 Summer Olympics, held in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. However, this edition went largely unnoticed by mainstream audiences, due to the pandemic, making it feel as if surfing is debuting in the Paris 2024 Olympics for many of us.
In September 2015, surfing was included in a shortlist alongside baseball, softball, karate, skateboarding, and sport climbing to be considered for the 2020 Summer Olympics. One of the main challenges for years regarding surfing’s inclusion was that the games were often hosted by landlocked countries, complicating the logistics of staging surfing events.
Furthermore, the risk of drowning was a significant concern in surfing, leading the IOC to be wary of taking on high liabilities in case of any accidents.
Why is surfing being held in Tahiti?
Olympic surfing will be held in the small village of Teahupo’o (pronounced ‘Chopoo’), renowned for its massive, barrel-shaped waves, featuring 48 athletes from 21 countries. Tahiti is part of French Polynesia, an archipelago that functions as a semi-autonomous territory of France. The people of French Polynesia are French citizens with the same rights as those in mainland France, such as voting in French elections and the ability to reside in France.
During the planning for the 2024 games, Tahiti was selected over four mainland French surfing locations like Biarritz, Lacanau, Les Landes, and La Torche, to host this year’s event. Teahupo’o has previously hosted several major surfing competitions, including the Pro Tahiti world championships, and initially received significant support for this endeavor.
Why are Tahiti waves so dangerous?
In an interview with NPR, professional surfer Garrett McNamara explained that Teahupo’o can experience waves reaching heights of 40 to 50 feet, but what makes it particularly challenging is not just the size, but also the large, shallow reef underneath.
McNamara was clear when he mentioned that here you can spot some of the most beautiful and dangerous waves in the world, but at the same time, surfing here can be “a life-or-death situation from start to finish, regardless of the wave size”. The razor-sharp coral reef is just inches below the surfers when they fall, McNamara explained.
“When the waves approach the reef, the entire bottom drops out. The water on the reef in front of you sucks off like a waterfall, dropping below sea level. Then the wave curls over, and the lip of the wave detonates on the reef”, McNamara said to NPR.
Why are some fans unhappy with Olympic Surfing?
It’s not just the distance from the main venue in Paris or the danger of Tahiti’s waters. Fans of the sport, as well as some athletes, have expressed concerns about the health of the coral reefs.
Teahupo’o’s wooden judging tower has stood for two decades. However, the Olympic organizers originally planned to replace it with a three-story aluminum tower that could accommodate 40 people and would include restrooms and air conditioning. Corals are fragile and sensitive, and damage from construction and anchoring can make them more vulnerable to marine heat waves. It can take years for coral to recover from damage.
So far, and fortunately, no major issues or unforeseen events have been reported that have significantly impacted the ecosystem, wildlife, or even the surfers. The truth is that this is the first time we’re seeing this demanding and quintessentially Californian sport featured in a sporting event like the Olympics, so we can certainly expect many pleasant surprises in the coming weeks that will set the tone for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as well.