Todd Glaser/Reef Footwear
Olympic Judging Tower In Tahiti Will Be Built Say Paris 2024 President
Less than 24 hours after the ISA announced they would not support the construction of a new aluminum judging tower on the reef at Teahupo’o, site of the Paris 2024 Olympic surfing event, and offered a more environmentally sensitive alternative, the President of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Tony Estanguet says development will move forward.
“It was judged to be not feasible on several fronts," said Estanguet of the ISA proposal. “On the technical front in terms of filming the images but also surrounding security it poses a lot of questions.”
The Paris 2024 leader and French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson are united in their desire to see the judging tower built at Teahupo’o.
“We respect the almost unanimous decision taken locally to continue with the launch of the construction work,” Estanguet.
Antithetical to what surfing represents and its Polynesian origins, contention over the judging tower between area residents, surfers and environmental advocates and Olympic officials has been brewing for months. The situation was brought to a head earlier this month when a construction barge ran aground on a nearby reef and damaged the coral. The incident was caught on video and shared on social media around the world.
After this statement from the Paris 2024 President, it’s going to be interesting to see how the ISA and surf community respond to this news. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that some qualified surfers could boycott the Games.
More as this story continues to develop.
