Dispute continues over new Tahiti judging tower for 2024 Olympic surfing competition

Following the decision by the Paris 2024 Olympic organisers to host the surfing competition in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, there has been an ongoing dispute over the proposed construction of a new aluminium judging tower in the coral reef lagoon adjacent to the surf break.

The dispute originated because, on one hand, of the anticipated environmental impact, and on the other hand, insurance issues over the existing wooden judging tower used by the World Surf League.

The Paris 2024 Olympic organisers intend to invest approximately US$5 million to construct a substantially larger aluminium tower to provide amenities for judges including toilets, air conditioning, and capacity for 40 people.

The decision to replace the existing wooden tower is made regardless of the fact that it has been operating without issues since 2003.

Despite protests from the Tahitian population and the world surfing community throughout 2023, the Olympic organisers and local authorities have decided to continue constructing the three-story aluminium tower.

The Paris 2024 Olympics organising committee have ruled that the wooden tower previously used by the WSL does not meet safety standards.

French High Commissioner in French Polynesia Eric Spitz told public television Polynésie la 1ère "Contrary to the accepted practice over the past 24 years, it is increasingly difficult for the WSL to find an insurance company that accepts to cover the even with the old tower and they were threatening to cancel the Tahiti leg and withdraw Tahiti from its world tour if the new (aluminium) tower was not ready in time for this year's competition.”

Tetuanui Hamblin, Mayor of West Taiarapu (where Teahupoo is administratively located) added "for our municipality, this new tower was necessary, a tower that is up to safety standards so there is no problem regarding the staff and personnel that will come and work here (...) We're already behind on schedule so works have to resume".

The International Surfing Association in a press release titled “The ISA will not support the construction of the new aluminum judges’ tower at Teahupo’o (Tahiti)” made it clear that it does not support the construction of a new aluminium judges’ tower at Teahupo’o.

In December 2023, the ISA issued a statement saying a proposal was sent to the French Polynesian Government and Paris 2024 organisers to run the Olympic Surfing competition in Teahupoo without building a new aluminium tower on the reef.

ISA President Fernando Aguerre suggested that the Olympic surfing event's judging should be done remotely, with live images shot from land, water, and drones.

An ISA document titled "Alternative Technical Solutions for Judging" provides two options that mitigate the impact that the construction will have on the reef:

Option A: Judges on a Tower on Land, Using Reduced Camera Platform on the Reef on Existing Footings and
Option B: Judges on a Tower on Land Without Cameras on the Reef

Despite the efforts of ISA, the proposal was not accepted by the French Polynesian Government, which confirmed the decision to go forward with a plan to build the new aluminium tower on the Teahupoo reef.

Researchers from the University of Hawai'i (UH) at Mānoa, UH Hilo, and Arizona State University and community partners in Tahiti recently published a study in Remote Sensing that assessed the potential impacts of the tower and emphasised the importance of protecting the valuable reef—both as an integral part of the ecosystem and a resource for the local community.

"We hope the International Olympic Committee, appropriate government officials and the greater international community can see how devastating this impact will be to not only the valuable coral reef habitat, but also the local community who depend on this reef for their livelihood and well-being," John Burns, lead author of the study, associate professor in marine science and data science at UH Hilo, and MEGA Lab member.

The researchers teamed up with community members from Vai Ara O Teahupo'o and used 3D photogrammetry techniques to create high-resolution habitat maps of three sites that will be impacted by dredging and tower construction. The resulting mosaics were analysed to quantify species diversity, coral colony count, coral colony size, and percent of the ocean floor covered by live coral and other living organisms.

The resulting data show these sites support healthy and diverse coral communities that contribute to the ecological function of the larger reef system at Teahupo'o. In the 322 square metres (about the size of a tennis court) where the tower would be located, they identified the presence of 1,003 corals from 20 different species, indicating this site is a thriving coral habitat.

Haunani Kane, co-author, assistant professor of Earth Sciences in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at UH Mānoa, and MEGA Lab member notes "Although these organisms' value will never be fully represented through a capitalistic lens, based on U.S. valuations used by the Hawai'i Division of Aquatic Resources, our data show the value of just the corals and algae at this small portion of the reef is estimated to be worth at least $170,000.”

In addition to an assessment of the reef where the structure will be built, the team mapped the lagoon area where the reef is being dredged to accommodate barge transport of tower materials. This dredging could directly impact 2,500 square metres of the reef (about half the size of a football field). If this were to occur, the authors report, it could cause a financial impact of at least $1.3 million by damaging the live reef habitat.

The team's impact estimates are conservative—only accounting for direct impacts and not including the potential financial impacts for communities who depend on these resources or the impact on the much greater lagoon area if water quality is affected.

"With information in hand about the ecological impact and community concern, we hope construction of the tower will be reassessed and also that these maps will help to hold any future disruptors accountable," said Cliff Kapono, co-author, assistant professor at Arizona State University and MEGA Lab member. "There are alternatives to constructing a new tower, such as using the existing tower, which the World Surf League uses for competitions."

Image top: Aluminium Surfing Judges Tower Teahupoo artist impression. Supplied; Image centre: Tahiti wooden surfing tower Credit: WSL; Image above: 3D photogrammetry techniques were used to assess ecology of the reef system. Credit: Todd Glaser