It is almost like being back on Mount Olympus, a few thousand years ago, at the dawn of the first Olympic Games organized in ancient Greece. A majestic, natural site, which receives athletes, under the gaze of a few spectators amazed by this new competition. Yes, by choosing to organize the surfing event in Tahiti, on the mythical spot of Teahupoo, the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (Cojo) took a break from the gargantuan delirium of the Olympic Games.
Seeing a small village of 1,400 souls, at the end of the world, where the road is cut off, receiving the JO machine, is a bit like when the Indian chief Raoni finds himself in European or American megalopolises. In both cases, the fear of human damage to the environment is very present. “We freaked out, concedes Michaël Vautor, owner of Teahupoo Excursion Taxi Boat, which brings tourists and surfers on THE wave. It was cool to know that we were hosting the Olympics, but we said to ourselves: “I hope they don’t destroy us”. »
In Teahupoo, we don’t want any material inheritance
Installation of an Olympic village, riprap on the coast which would destroy the wave which tubes at the edge on which the children do their range, construction of stands, digging of a channel… Against a background of lack of communication from the institutions, the first rumors do not reassure not many people. “The population was in favor of the Olympics, but without any material legacy, any disruption in the way of life, any impact on the ecosystem”, explains Cindy Otcenasek, president of the association for the defense of the environment Vai Ara o Tehaupoo and member of the Mata Ara ia Teahupoo 2024 collective, which organized a survey in the village to find out everyone’s expectations.
After publicizing her fight, she obtained the first responses from the Cojo: “Paris 2024 maintained that they were not there to upset the balance that was in place at Teahupoo, nor to come and build anything either. They were really there to come and adapt to the environment that welcomed them. There will therefore be no Olympic village, no stands (spectators will be able to watch the competition via giant screens installed on the beach), no dug channel. The only planned developments: a renovation of the marina and the footbridge that leads to the Fenua Aihere, this area, accessible only on foot or by boat, which begins at the end of the road.
A liner to welcome surfers
Without the Olympic village, and without renovation of the Puunui hotel, which was also planned, the surfers will be accommodated in a boat moored in Vairao, about ten kilometers from Teahupoo. “Cruise ships are not the best solution, they run 24 hours a day, the engines work, it’s not very ecological,” laments Cindy Otcenasek.
“It would have been good for the Olympic Games to invest in a mooring box, to prevent an anchor facing 360° and destroying the entire seabed,” adds Michaël Vautor. While during the world circuit, the surfers are housed with the inhabitants, there, for the Olympics, they have the obligation to be all housed in the same boat. Hence the liner solution.
It’s the only solution we have left, replied Barbara Martins-Nio, the manager of the Tahiti site for the Cojo on TNTV. It’s not a monster liner either. But it is still more than 10 days at sea, and it is an important point of the specifications, which counts in our evaluation criteria, in particular on the ability of the cruise line to be able to study improvement solutions, in particular the carbon footprint (…) It is not necessarily ideal, but the peninsula, today, does not offer us many possibilities. »
Preservation of the Fenua Aihere
The inhabitants of Teahupoo also remain vigilant, despite the promises of the organizers, on the preservation of the Fenua Aihere. “It is the only place in Tahiti that is almost intact, where the rahui, an area where no one can go, where the lagoon regenerates, comments Annick Paofai, president of the Fenua Aihere defense association. What worries me is that during the Games there will be a lot of boats coming to visit the place, because it is really beautiful. The risk is to break the corals, pollute the river. »
On the side of the town hall of Teahupoo, we prefer to reassure the citizens. “We are in the process of creating a sustainable tourist charter, explains the deputy mayor, Roniu Tupana-Poareu, and Hélène Maitere Fariki, the general secretary of services. Behind all this organization, the goal is the preservation of our municipality, to respect the green, the cleanliness of our lagoons. It is a challenge that Paris 2024 has understood. It is one of the most beautiful towns in Tahiti, because it is preserved. A place so beautiful that we don’t want it to be degraded. For the ecosystem, it could be dramatic if things were not done upstream. Now, everything will be ready. »
The tower of the judges, the black point for the green?
But a final stumbling block worries environmental defense associations: the installation of the judges’ tower in the lagoon. If it is present during the events of the world circuit, whether it is the Tahiti Pro or the Billabong Pro, it will have a different look for the Olympics, which worries the inhabitants. From 10 to 20 people, this platform will be able to accommodate between 100 and 200. “It’s a three-level tower [un de plus que la traditionnelle], explains Hélène Maitère Fariki. It comes to settle in the same place as the old one, but with a higher floor. It will be wider, more consolidated, with a steel structure anchored to existing concrete blocks, which will be reinforced. »
The consequences on the seabed could be significant. “I was a little shocked when I learned that they wanted to make a tower of 200 people in the lagoon and that they wanted to move coral potatoes, regrets Michaël Vautor. But it will move smartly, even if there are some potatoes that will die. »
The objective is to touch the seabed as little as possible, replies the general secretary of the services. There will be cables pulled through the water to reach the platform, and there will inevitably be excavation work. »
But, as for the Tahiti Pro or the other competitions, this tower will be removed at the end of the competition, we are assured by the institutions. However, on 2024 Olympics website, it is clearly specified that “the slight temporary arrangements will disappear after the competition, with the exception of the new judges’ tower. Once built, it will allow French Polynesia to benefit from an infrastructure allowing it to host major surfing events. “We will really have to remain vigilant,” concludes Cindy Otcenasek. The preservation of this little corner of paradise is at stake.