According to Mr Van Sang of the Tuaro Nui cell, which manages major sporting events, the tower will be made available to the Tahiti Surfing Federation on Tuesday afternoon (Wednesday in Paris), ahead of testing on May 18 and then the Shiseido Tahiti Pro stage world circuit, scheduled for May 22-31.
For the IJSPF (Institute of Youth and Sports of French Polynesia), which is the owner of the project, there is no longer a blocking point and all reservations will be lifted on Tuesday.
The construction of this aluminum tower in the lagoon sparked controversy late last year, to the point that French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson briefly considered postponing the surfing competition at the Paris Olympics (July 26-August 11). ) on another site.
In December, environmental activists filmed a construction barge breaking up pieces of coral as it traveled through the area.
The Vai ara o Teahupoo association has collected more than 255,000 signatures against the new tower, with top international surfers calling for the site to be preserved. But the protest fizzled out after a nearly five-hour meeting that President Brotherson held on December 10 with the tower’s chief architects and opponents.
The community reduced the size and weight of the structure. It was also supervised by two local surfing personalities, Pascal Luciani and Moana David.
“The tower is finished, technical tests were carried out by Bureau Veritas this morning (Monday): electricity, fiber optics, everything works,” Pascal Luciani confirmed to AFP. He added that “there were no breakdowns during the work and there were no protests.”
The Olympic surfing competition will take place over four days, from July 27 to August 5. Two Tahitian surfers, Vahine Fierro and Kauli Vaast, will defend the colors of France.
Source: Le Parisien
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