Tahiti, more than 15,000 kilometers away from the France capital Paris, hosts an Olympic surfing event, a fantasy when it was first proposed.
In the more than 100-year history of the Games, the last time an Olympic event was held so far from the host city was in Melbourne in 1956, when the equestrian competition had to be moved to Stockholm, 9,700 kilometres away, due to Australia's strict equine quarantine policy.
Distance is only one aspect, and since then, environmental protection and other issues have been exposed, making Tahiti's surfing competition seem to be the weakness of the Paris Olympics.
With yesterday's Olympic surfing competition coming to a successful conclusion, the Paris Organising Committee's bold bet has won a lot of media praise, and the surfing event in Tahiti has been hailed as the biggest surprise of the Games. Te Ahupu Beach has created a golden moment for itself and surfing, which will further enhance surfing's position on the Olympic map.
The "Land of Skulls" offers the perfect playing field
When France's Cauley · Vaste won the men's surfing final, the shoreline of Tiahupu boiled over because Vast was a native of Tahiti.
He knew the Great Wave of Thiahupu better than anyone. At the age of eight, Vast encountered the sea for the first time, and the real challenge before him was a deep fear and insecurity: "I always heard that there were terrible waves in Tiahoop. I was small and thin, and my fear of the unknown was so strong that I almost suffocated. ”
But a clear and firm desire also took root in Vast's mind: he dreamed of one day being a surfer and dancing with the waves that had once daunted him on the coastline of his hometown. This wish came true in 2024. "It's the most perfect wave in the world, and it's the most terrible and evil wave in the world. She has two faces. Vast said.
Vast wasn't the only one who got emotional while surfing in Te Ahoop. When the world's top surfers take on some of the most challenging waves on the planet, fear, excitement, joy, awe and gratitude come over you. The Wall Street Journal bluntly stated that Tiahoop was the "most terrifying" venue in Olympic history.
Peru's Sol · Aguirre was too scared to enter the water in the preliminaries, but she was encouraged by other surfers in her group. After this particular attempt, Aguirre lay on his paddleboard, wiped tears from his eyes with his hands, raised his hands and gave a happy thumbs up: "It was a very wonderful journey, I succeeded." There are super special, incredible, super intense waves that will fill you with all kinds of emotions at the same time. It brings out the best in you and allows you to grow as a real person. ”
"Tiahupu" means "land of skeletons" in Tahiti. As Vaster and Aguirre put it, "dangerous waves" are the "biggest selling point" of the sea.
The Guardian believes that when the powerful Southern Ocean swell crosses thousands of kilometers of the high seas to Tahiti, the sea churns upward. It was the "Land of Skeletons" that provided the perfect arena for the world's best surfers to compete for Olympic gold medals. The second Olympic surfing event came to a successful conclusion in a thrilling way.
"Surfing in Tahiti is a surprise that people didn't expect," said Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee. At this time of year, some of the world's most spectacular waves converge here. Today, she's proving it. ”
Surfing is gradually consolidating its position in the Olympic Games
According to the Wall Street Journal, the stunning visual impact and the crashing waves that soared overhead justified the organizers' decision.
Tahiti has a steady stream of surfing waves in the bosom of southern hemisphere winter, while France's beaches are unstable in the northern hemisphere summer. Despite its distance from Paris, Tahiti's unique geographical location and natural conditions offer an unbeatable advantage for surfing competitions.
Many foreign media believe that the controversy caused by the decision to surf in the early days of Tahiti is on a par with the public opinion environment when surfing was included in the Tokyo Olympics
At that time, there was a lot of discussion in the surfing world. Many people in the circle have reservations about entering the Olympics, and some people even bluntly expressed their resistance. They argue that surfing is out of step with the traditional framework of the Olympics and that its path to integration is fraught with thorns.
These reservations are not unfounded, as surfing is an art that dances with nature, highly dependent on the bounty of the ocean and unpredictable waves, which makes the planning and preparation of the event more challenging than ever. Ideal wave conditions and the large urban infrastructure required for the Olympics often do not fit perfectly in the same time and space, adding a lot of uncertainty to the hosting of the event.
In addition, there are concerns about the rough wave conditions that can occur during the race, as well as the subjectivity of the judging criteria. There is also a contradiction between the commercial operation of the Olympics and the rebellious, free spirit of surfing.
When surfing at the Paris Olympics came to an end, all the questions surrounding the suitability of surfing for the Olympic stage seemed pale and absurd.
The Guardian wrote, "It's surfing at its best, and it's at its best at the Olympics." "With the picturesque verdant mountains of Tahiti in the background and the world's most technically difficult, challenging and dangerous waves in the foreground, elite surfers from all over the world compete in the fast-spinning, powerful barrel waves of Te Ahoop.
United States NBC believes that with Los Angeles and Brisbane – two recognized surfing destinations – becoming Olympic host cities, surfing is entering an important stage in its development and laying a solid foundation for the sport's continued presence on the Olympic stage. This extreme sport with its roots in nature is cementing its place in the Olympic Games.