The surfing competition at the '24 Paris Games "could take place 15,000km away from the French capital in Tahiti" under a proposal backed by the Int'l Surfing Association. The French Polynesian island in the Pacific Ocean is the "preferred option, beating off rival bids from Biarritz, Lacanau, Les Landes and La Torche," all on the French mainland. Final approval from the IOC is "still required for the radical move, which would represent the longest distance between an event and the host city at any Olympic Games." ISA President Fernando Aguerre said, "Tahiti was truly exceptional in offering our athletes, and our sport, spectacular conditions for optimal competitions" (REUTERS, 12/12).
Some had "argued that hosting surfing so far away" from the center of the games in Paris would not be "environmentally sound in terms of the carbon footprint of travel." But officials "dismissed that concern, arguing that only 48 surfers would compete" and some would "come from Australia or New Zealand," so they would not have to "travel far." About 1,500 spectators "can be catered for, which is thought to be 10 times less than would have watched the surfing in Biarritz or Lacanau on the west coast" (London GUARDIAN, 12/12).
