Over 150,000 sign petition against construction in Tahiti for Paris 2024

The organizers of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games planned to build an aluminum tower in Tahiti’s Teahupo’o for surfing events, but many locals opposed it over concerns of coral reefs being damaged. Tahiti is a semi-autonomous region of France

The village is no stranger to hosting surfing competitions as some of the best contests on the professional World Surf League’s (WSL’s) championship tour have taken place there before. A modest wooden tower would be built for judges on the reef during those events and then be dismantled.

By contrast, the Paris 2024 organizers want to build a much larger tower with toilets, air conditioning and space for 40 people costing nearly $5 million. It will use 14-meter-tall aluminum scaffolding to build the tower and that could damage the coral reef, as may a 800-meter-long service channel through the reef.

An online petition was started to try shut down the plan and over 150,000 people signed in support.

Moetai Brotherson, president of French Polynesia, said on Wednesday that the surfing events for Paris 2024 could be moved to Taharuu, which is on Tahiti’s West coast.

“That would have enabled us to avoid the problems we have today. At the time, it wasn’t possible. In view of the issues at stake and the protests today, perhaps we can revise this option,” Brotherson said at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

Paris 2024 organizers expressed their will to find a solution via dialogues. “As our president, Tony Estanguet, recently pointed out, our priority today is to find a solution that will enable us to organize the surfing events of the Olympic Games in Tahiti, at the Teahupo’o site, in the best possible conditions,” the organizing committee said in a statement to Reuters.

“Tahiti was chosen because of the Teahupo’o site and its legendary wave, one of the most beautiful in the world,” it added. “Discussions and studies will continue over the coming weeks to find a solution for organizing the events on the Teahupo’o site. Along with all the stakeholders, and the Polynesian government in particular, Paris 2024 will continue to listen to all possible solutions to further improve the project. Dialogue and work will continue with environmental associations and local residents.”

Surfing will include the men’s and the women’s shortboard events for 48 surfers, 24 for each gender, to compete in during the 2024 Olympic Games.