This project crystallized tensions on the island of Tahiti for several days. The construction of a new judging tower at the Teaupo’o site, which will host the 2024 Olympic surfing competition, was the subject of a local demonstration in mid-October.
The topic returned to discussion on Tuesday, at the same time as the presentation of the Games Paramarathon course. Associations and local residents fear that the aluminum building built in the water specifically for the event will degrade the seabed and harm the site’s biodiversity.
As we noted earlier, the organizers explain that the creation of a new tower is primarily related to safety issues: the wooden tower (13.50 m) does not meet the standards. “We must remember that if today we have a project for a new tower, it is because the current judges’ tower does not meet the requirements,” assured Tony Estanguette on Tuesday. “Paris 2024 will not jeopardize anyone’s safety,” he added.
Locally, politicians are also trying to reassure their populations. On Saturday, the President of French Polynesia, Moetai Brotherson, visited a village located near the competition site: Toahutu. “Obviously, there will be noise and sand emissions during drilling, but all this will be contained and cleaned up. Then nature will restore its rights,” he assured, according to comments from the local press.
“The goal is to listen”
Paris 2024 leaders insist they are acting with the local population in mind. “The goal is to continue to move forward and listen,” Tony Estangue continued. “This project can still be amended to make it even better responsive to the concerns of the local population (…) We absolutely want to preserve this place,” promises the Cojo boss.
But opponents continue to fear for the local fauna and flora. “I’m sure they will destroy the corals or even dig up a channel,” surfer Matahi Drollet told AFP, the source of the viral video on social media. It is also the destruction of our pantry, one of the few places in Tahiti where surgeonfish are still edible. »
“We are not saying no to the Olympic Games, but we are saying no to the aluminum tower,” he concludes. The government has said that it is not Teaupo’o that must adapt to the Olympic Games, but the Olympic Games that must adapt to Teaupo’o. We expect him to keep his word. “The petition he launched collected more than 100 thousand signatures.
Source: Le Parisien
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