“We’ll be there“. This, in essence, was the message delivered on Thursday August 17 by the three French government ministers visiting Tahiti, where the surfing events of the Paris 2024 Games will be held next July. In charge of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra announced that the judges’ tower would be replaced by a new aluminum structure on the Teahupoo site. Total cost: 2.7 million euros, including 628,000 euros provided by the French government. Amélie Oudéa-Castéra insisted: “We are vigilant to ensure that the ecological impact of these Games is minimized.” French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who will also be visiting Polynesia, spoke of the security arrangements for the Games, pointing out that 600 police and gendarmes would be mobilized for the ten days or so of the Olympic event in Tahiti. “There will be a special welcome at the airport so that all those who want to come to Polynesia can do so under excellent conditions, he explained. We also have to protect the athletes and provide maritime and drone coverage. We have to fight against malicious drones, which are a new threat.”
