It almost sounds like a fake news story aimed at upstaging the action from Pipeline and Jaws – but it’s not. Teahupo’o is on the cards as the venue for surfing in the Paris, 2024 Olympics.
In a radical move, the organisers of the Paris Olympics have suggested that they would prefer to host the surfing event at one of the heaviest waves in the world, 15,700km from the French capital.
However, the bold move still needs to get a final sanction from the International Olympic Committee, and the south of France has not given up on its pledge to host the event. In an article on the BBC website, Laurent Ortiz, a spokesman for the BBC website stated, “This is not a final decision. It is the proposal of the organising committee, so we will remain an active candidate until the beginning of January. As long as nothing is finalised, we will keep hope.”
Meanwhile, the president of Tahiti surfing, Lionel Teihotu, has assured Olympic delegates that the women’s event can also be hosted at Teahupo’o, despite the fact it’s not a venue on the WSL women’s tour.
Both Biarritz and Tahiti are no doubt enticed by the influx of tourist dollars that would flow their way if they hosted an Olympic event and it seems there is a bureaucratic battle to be fought before this one is decided. However, it’s hard not to be excited about Teahupo’o as an Olympic venue for men and women surfers.
The Paris Summer Olympics will be held between Friday 26th July and Sunday 11th August. That puts it in the optimal swell window for Tahiti but perhaps a shade early for what are typically the best months for the south of France – September to November.
While Biarritz in the south of France may offer much as an Olympic venue, pulling into a curling ten-foot beast at Teahup’o does seem like the kind of thing they should give you a gold medal for.
