Mauatua Fa’ara-Reynolds (she/they)
“[Sports are] a vigorous instrument of the disciplining [of colonised peoples]” — Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games.
For Paris 2024, the Surfing Olympics will be held at the iconic surfing location Teahupo’o, a small village of 2000 on the southwest of Tahiti in French Polynesia (Mā’ohi Nui). For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Teahupo’o (also known as Chopo) is a worldwide surfing sensation, with some of the most spectacular and dangerous waves on the planet. With 12-foot waves, it’s no wonder the name translates to “skull-crusher”. Although it’s been asserted that hosting the Surfing Olympics in Tahiti will be economically beneficial for the French overseas collectivity, there will be significant damage, some of which has already been felt.
For the past 20 years, competitions at Teahupo’o have used a collapsible wooden judging tower, which can be reassembled as needed. However, after a study by the Olympic Organising Committee (which has still not been released, despite hundreds of requests), it was declared that the wooden tower was not up to standard. Its replacement? A three-storey aluminium tower with toilets and air-conditioning. To build this, they’d need to drill 56 new holes into the reef, anchor the tower to 12 concrete pads, and reinforce it with 72 micropiles. How much would this all cost? $8 million NZD. This is a shocking turn of events considering Paris 2024’s goal to be more “responsible, sustainable, united, and inclusive”.
During a pre-construction test of the tower, workers brought a barge out to the suggested location and, in doing so, destroyed all of the coral heads (and broke their propeller). This event only fuelled local outrage and opposition to the project. After a peaceful protest of about 500 where locals placed an ‘unu’ on the area (similar to rāhui in te ao Māori) and launched an online petition with over 250 thousand signatures, construction was halted for about a month and design plans were re-evaluated. Nevertheless, construction started up again in March, and we now have the aluminium judging tower, but with a few minor adjustments. Changes in the design include a reduction in the size of the tower, a decrease in the number of holes drilled into the reef, and a change in the mode of transportation for tower materials from barges to boats. However, it still poses many problems for Teahupo’o’s ecosystem.
The most important part of the story: how this will affect the environment and the indigenous people. After a team of scientists at The MEGA Lab in Hawai’i went to Teahupo’o to survey the reef’s health, they came forward with a statement saying the tower would undoubtedly damage the reef. The calamity caused by construction could stress marine life and spread ciguatera, where microscopic algae infect fish and, if eaten, can make people extremely sick. This is incredibly concerning, considering it’s a town of fishermen who rely on the fish of Teahupo’o for their meals and income. Furthermore, the damage done by the barge and the tower’s construction could impact 2500 square metres of the reef, with an estimated financial impact of about $2 million NZD. And, as the CEO of Coral Gardeners Titouan Bernicot said, “Every time we modify the environment we see not immediately, but years later, issues arising and it’s too late to fix them”. While we may not see any damage over the duration of the competition (about three-four days), local Mā’ohi will be dealing with its consequences for the rest of their lives, including potential loss of livelihood, health issues, and irreversible damage to the ecosystem.
Highlighting the cultural impact, President of Vai Ara o Teahupo’o Cindy Otcenasek said in an interview with APNews, “In Polynesian culture, gods are present everywhere; in the coral, in the ocean”. It’s not too much of a stretch to say then that destroying coral and harming the ocean’s biodiversity is a direct attack on Mā’ohi ways of living and understanding the world.
While this whole situation may come as a shock, it certainly isn’t for Mā’ohi, who are well-versed in French colonialism and its tactics. Not only did the Olympic Organising Committee disregard locals’ concerns and well-being, they completely disrespected our identity as a people. On the website, you’ll see their choice to host the Surfing Competition at Teahupo’o was motivated by their ambition to “[showcase] France’s rich and diverse heritage”. If they really believed Mā’ohi Nui was France, they wouldn’t put the livelihoods of thousands at risk for a four-day competition.
All we Mā’ohi can do now is pray to and for our Atua.