World surfing bosses won’t support Olympic judging tower

The International Surfing Association (ISA) will not support the construction of an aluminium judging tower for the Paris 2024 events in Tahiti, the governing body said on Wednesday.

In October, residents of Teahupo’o protested against plans by Games organisers to build a 14-metre aluminium tower that would allow up to 40 people to watch, film and judge the surfing at a famed break in front of the village.

Organisers, including Paris 2024 and the French Polynesia government, said last month they had decided that building a smaller, lighter tower on the Tahiti site was the best option. This would allow for smaller installation equipment but would still require new foundations in the reef.

The ISA, however, said in a statement that it had offered an alternative solution to the construction of the tower.

“On December 9th, the ISA sent a proposal to the French Polynesian Government and Paris 2024 organizers to run the Olympic Surfing competition in Teahupoo, without building a new aluminium tower on the reef,” it said.

“The ISA proposal included judging the competition remotely, with live images shot from land, water and drones.”

Earlier this month, a barge bringing the aluminium tower to Teahupo’o damaged the coral reef, bringing work to a halt.

“We had found a solution to replace that (wooden judging) tower which did not meet the (Olympic) safety standards. We will not compromise on safety,” Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet then told local TV channel Polynesie La 1+”.

“The first test did not go well, some coral was damaged. The works were stopped immediately. With the Polynesian government we are trying to find some technical solutions while respecting the environment.”

– Reuters