The surfing event of the 2024 Olympic Games organized in Tahiti is starting to create a stir on the Pacific island.
The Paris Olympic Games which will take place next summer will allow us to highlight some fairly exceptional new developments, such as flying taxis. But this global event is also unfortunately expected to cause a certain number of inconveniences. Prices on Airbnb and in hotels have thus experienced significant inflation in mainland France. And on the other side of the world, in Tahiti, a construction site is increasingly being singled out by local residents.
A concrete tower costing more than 4 million euros
If the Olympics are officially going to be located in Paris, a certain number of events will have to take place elsewhere on French territory. This is the case of the surfing event, which will be hosted very far away, in Tahiti, at the most famous lagoon of the Polynesian island: Teahupo’o.
And to evaluate the participants’ performances, the committee found nothing better than to decide to build a concrete tower of three floors and 14 meters high in this lagoon. A high-tech tower intended to accommodate some 40 judges, and which will benefit from an air conditioning room as well as Wi-Fi internet, all at an imposing cost of 4.4 million euros.
A useless construction site?
A decision which is all the more surprising given that surfing events are commonplace in the lagoon, and generally only require 4 judges to assess the performances. The latter are usually installed in wooden towers from the top of which they can see the surfers. The towers are then dismantled, limiting the impact on the environment.
Unlike this case, which provoked the ire of locals, and the incomprehension of surfers like Matahi Drollet. “ This will destroy the coral and cause stress in marine species which can then develop a disease called ciguetera. » he denounced in a video on Instagram. Opposition is beginning to arise to this project, for example with a demonstration which was organized last week.
Source : Nova
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