This was one of the fears of the inhabitants of Teahupoo, when the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee decided that the small Tahitian village (1,400 inhabitants) would host the surfing event of the 2024 Olympic Games: “The population was favorable to the Olympics, but without any material legacy, no disruption to the way of living, no consequences on the ecosystem,” Cindy Otcenasek, president of the environmental defense association Vai Ara o, explained to us a few weeks ago. Teahupoo and member of the Mata Ara ia Teahupoo 2024 collective.
However, the project to build a new tower in the middle of the lagoon on the legendary Teahupoo spot in Tahiti to accommodate the judges of the surfing event has been crystallizing tensions and misunderstandings on the island for several days. On Sunday October 15, a peaceful march bringing together several hundred people was organized near the village of Teahupoo. Different associations and local residents are opposed to the construction of this judges’ tower, made of aluminum, built in the water especially for the Olympics event, and which according to them could degrade the seabed and harm the biodiversity of the site. The Vai Ara o Teahupoo association has also launched a petition against the establishment of this tower. This Tuesday, it had collected more than 85,000 signatures.
Damage to corals
The planned tower, 14 meters high, should have three floors, an air-conditioned technical room for Internet servers powered by an underwater cable, but also toilets with an evacuation system connected to a pipe. What mainly worries opponents of this tower is the possible damage to the coral that the work would cause.
” The government [polynésien] wants to take the drill barge through an impossible place, everything will go wrong. It’s not possible to do this properly. It’s going to be a disaster, regrets Milton Parker, vice-president of the Atihau association, which manages the Parker estate [une grande partie du village de Teahupoo], at AFP. As soon as they start to break the coral, that’s when we’ll have to intervene. The technicians say they know the site, but that’s not true, they’re lying to us. »
Local surfer Matahi Drollet, in a video posted on social networks, explains in particular that for the World Surf League (WSL) event organized each year in Teahupoo, a wooden tower is installed and then dismantled once the event is over. . The organizing committee justifies this project by putting forward safety reasons, the wooden tower (13.50 m) no longer being up to standard.
“Nature will reclaim its rights”
Its location will also be identical to the previous tower. A design office specializing in the marine environment was commissioned by the Polynesian government which is the prime contractor for this project, and the planned work must comply with strict environmental specifications.
The President of French Polynesia, Moetai Brotherson, tried to reassure local residents by going to a neighboring village, Toahutu, on Saturday. “It is obvious that when drilling, there will be noise and release of sand, but all of that will be contained and cleaned. Then, nature will reclaim its rights,” he assured, according to comments reported by the local press.
Assurances which do not seem to convince the opponents. “It is certain that they will degrade the corals, or even dig a channel. It is also a destruction of our pantry, one of the rare places in Tahiti where the surgeonfish is still edible, regrets Matahi Drollet. We don’t say no to the Olympics, but we say no to the aluminum tower. The government said that it was not up to Teahupoo to adapt to the Olympics (but) for the Olympics to adapt to Teahupoo. We expect him to keep his word. »