Locals Worried about Olympic Surfing Event in Tahiti
2024-03-05
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1The Summer Olympic Games this year are in Paris, France.
2Paris does not have an ocean. So, how do organizers plan to present competition in the sport of surfing?
3They are taking that Olympic event halfway around the world to the South Pacific country of French Polynesia.
4The athletes will compete on the island of Tahiti, in a small coastal village called Teahupo'o.
5The area is rural. It did not even have a road until the 1970s.
6Hundreds of people are expected to visit Teahupo'o to watch the sport, as the surfers go out onto the famous waves from July 27 to August 4.
7Peva Levy is a Tahitian surfer.
8He said the Teahupo'o beach was a "secret spot" when he first rode the waves there more than fifty years ago.
9But, he added, it did not stay secret.
10Teahupo'o gained fame among surfers around the world in the years since.
11Levy said the place has a special energy, a feeling known as "mana" in the local language.
12And the people who live there want that special quality protected.
13There are concerns that a week of Olympic competition in Teahupo'o could destroy the "mana" and harm the environment that surrounds it.
14Proposed preparations for the event included building temporary housing, roads, and even a large structure out on the water.
15The work called for drilling into a coral reef.
16Opposition to the plans quickly grew.
17Environmentalists, locals and surfers joined forces to protect Teahupo'o's culture, its corals and other sea life.
18"It was too much for us, a big change," said Levy, who also serves on a local environmental organization Vai Ara o Teahupo'o.
19The group told the Olympic organizers they did not want new buildings or roads.
20And organizers are adjusting their plans as a result.
21For example, they will not be building any Olympic housing.
22Instead, athletes will stay on a nearby boat.
23Homes of locals will serve other Olympic housing needs.
24Organizers also shrunk the size of the planned structure, a platform, they will build in the ocean.
25Judges will watch the competition from the platform.
26Some people worry that the drilling into the reef will disrupt the ecosystem and attract a dangerous algae.
27If fish eat the algae, people who eat the fish can become sick.
28Twenty-two-year-old Mormon Maitei is concerned about the fish in the area.
29Maitei is a spearfisher who catches fish to feed his family.
30He sells what they do not need. The water is "where we get our dinner," he said.
31Tahitians also worry that changing the reef could also change the shape of the famous waves.
32Levy said if the reef cracks and breaks off "there will be no more wave over here, it will be finished for us."
33In December, the worries of the locals were confirmed when a boat working on some Olympic construction hit a piece of the reef and broke it.
34Cindy Otcenasek, the president of Via Ara o Teahupo'o, called the destruction deeply hurtful.
35She said in Polynesian culture, people believe gods and spirits are everywhere, "in the coral, in the ocean.
36The ocean is considered to be our most sacred temple," she said.
37Otcenasek said the fish live in and around the corals, "so if we break a coral, we break a home."
38Barbara Martins-Nio is a senior event manager for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organization Committee.
39She called the accident "awful." She said Tahitians have a "special relationship with nature ... and it was like a bomb for us."
40Since the incident, Martins-Nio said, the relationship between the organizers and locals has improved.
41The Olympic group is moving slowly and asking for more input from the local groups.
42I'm Dan Friedell.
1The Summer Olympic Games this year are in Paris, France. 2Paris does not have an ocean. So, how do organizers plan to present competition in the sport of surfing? 3They are taking that Olympic event halfway around the world to the South Pacific country of French Polynesia. The athletes will compete on the island of Tahiti, in a small coastal village called Teahupo'o. The area is rural. It did not even have a road until the 1970s. 4Hundreds of people are expected to visit Teahupo'o to watch the sport, as the surfers go out onto the famous waves from July 27 to August 4. 5Peva Levy is a Tahitian surfer. He said the Teahupo'o beach was a "secret spot" when he first rode the waves there more than fifty years ago. But, he added, it did not stay secret. Teahupo'o gained fame among surfers around the world in the years since. 6Levy said the place has a special energy, a feeling known as "mana" in the local language. 7And the people who live there want that special quality protected. There are concerns that a week of Olympic competition in Teahupo'o could destroy the "mana" and harm the environment that surrounds it. 8Proposed preparations for the event included building temporary housing, roads, and even a large structure out on the water. The work called for drilling into a coral reef. Opposition to the plans quickly grew. 9Environmentalists, locals and surfers joined forces to protect Teahupo'o's culture, its corals and other sea life. 10"It was too much for us, a big change," said Levy, who also serves on a local environmental organization Vai Ara o Teahupo'o. 11The group told the Olympic organizers they did not want new buildings or roads. And organizers are adjusting their plans as a result. 12For example, they will not be building any Olympic housing. Instead, athletes will stay on a nearby boat. Homes of locals will serve other Olympic housing needs. 13Organizers also shrunk the size of the planned structure, a platform, they will build in the ocean. Judges will watch the competition from the platform. 14Some people worry that the drilling into the reef will disrupt the ecosystem and attract a dangerous algae. If fish eat the algae, people who eat the fish can become sick. 15Twenty-two-year-old Mormon Maitei is concerned about the fish in the area. Maitei is a spearfisher who catches fish to feed his family. He sells what they do not need. The water is "where we get our dinner," he said. 16Tahitians also worry that changing the reef could also change the shape of the famous waves. 17Levy said if the reef cracks and breaks off "there will be no more wave over here, it will be finished for us." 18In December, the worries of the locals were confirmed when a boat working on some Olympic construction hit a piece of the reef and broke it. 19Cindy Otcenasek, the president of Via Ara o Teahupo'o, called the destruction deeply hurtful. 20She said in Polynesian culture, people believe gods and spirits are everywhere, "in the coral, in the ocean. The ocean is considered to be our most sacred temple," she said. 21Otcenasek said the fish live in and around the corals, "so if we break a coral, we break a home." 22Barbara Martins-Nio is a senior event manager for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organization Committee. She called the accident "awful." She said Tahitians have a "special relationship with nature ... and it was like a bomb for us." 23Since the incident, Martins-Nio said, the relationship between the organizers and locals has improved. The Olympic group is moving slowly and asking for more input from the local groups. 24I'm Dan Friedell. 25Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 26_______________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28coral reef -n. a long section of material formed on the bottom of the sea by the skeletons of small creatures that is home to sea life and living coral 29drill -v. to make a hole in something with a powerful tool 30algae -n. a kind plant life that grows in water 31awful -adj. something very bad or upsetting 32We want to hear from you. Would you go to Tahiti to see the Olympic surfing event?