Paris 2024 is delighted that the IOC Executive Board has approved the Teahupo’o site in Tahiti for surfing events and Place de la Concorde for urban sports. Two new iconic, spectacular and sustainable venues that will be the stage for events from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games’ additional sports.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will include one of the world’s most beautiful waves to ensure outstanding conditions for competitors

The choice of Tahiti to host the surfing events is in line with Paris 2024’s commitment to offering optimum conditions for competitors, with Teahupo’o considered to be one of the world’s most beautiful waves.

Both selective and spectacular, it will ensure a level of sports competition in line with the standards required for the Olympic Games, the world’s greatest competition

Thanks to the IOC Executive Board’s approval of the Teahupo’o site, Paris 2024 is able to welcome on board a new territory, French Polynesia, one of the historic birthplaces of surfing. This offers an opportunity for Paris 2024 to engage French overseas territories and their communities in the Olympic Games - for the first time in history - while showcasing France’s rich and diverse heritage.

This choice of the Teahupo’o site is widely approved by French people. According to a market research carried out by IFOP for Paris 2024 with a representative sample of French people around 3/4 (74%) of French people think that Tahiti is a good choice. The approval ratings for this decision were even higher among young people aged 15 to 25 (79%).

The need to offer optimum conditions for competitors to ensure a selective event, as well as the site’s cultural and historical dimension represent the two most important criteria for choosing Tahiti for French people.

Choice of Teahupo’o, an opportunity aligned with the IOC’s New Norm

With the organisation of the surfing events in Teahupo’o, Paris 2024 and the IOC are together building a new model for delivering Games that are aligned with the New Norm and a strong environmental ambition. Local stakeholders, OBS and the International Surfing Association are also fully involved in building this new model.

The Teahupo’o concept will make it possible to promote and preserve the island’s exceptional environment, while leaving a legacy that takes the local community’s needs into consideration:
• The world’s best surfers will be housed for the duration of the competition in an athletes’ village made up of temporary modular houses (modelled on traditional Polynesian homes known as ‘farés’), which will be dismantled after the competition and redeployed as social housing on Tahiti and other Polynesian islands;
• The concept is designed to adapt to the site - not the reverse - in order to have a limited impact on the coastal area, thanks in particular to the features of the wave, which is located offshore, and the effective control over operations set up during the Games;
• From an economic, social and environmental perspective, Paris 2024 will be working closely with all the stakeholders concerned and the Polynesian authorities over the next four years to promote the local community’s know-how and products.

Concorde, a unique experience, symbolising the Paris 2024 Games

With the IOC Executive Board approving the Place de la Concorde site for urban sports events, Paris 2024 is also further strengthening the spectacular and popular dimension of its project, and it intends to offer a groundbreaking programme at this venue in 2024 combining urban sports and cultural celebrations (shows, concerts, sports performances).

Place de la Concorde is an iconic square at the heart of Paris, linking the world’s most beautiful avenue, the Champs-Elysées, to the Tuileries Gardens, and it will become a spectacular city-centre arena for the Games, showcasing Paris’ heritage and offering exceptional images for viewers and spectators around the world.

Paris 2024 is working closely with the International Federations concerned, the IOC and OBS to look into the various options relating to the Place de la Concorde site with them. This review process, focused on the sports and disciplines that this venue will be hosting in 2024, is guided by the ambition to offer optimum conditions for competitors.

Tahiti and Place de la Concorde will now need to be officially confirmed at the end of 2020, once the full programme for the Games, including the four additional sports for Paris 2024, has been decided by the IOC.

Tony Estanguet, Paris 2024 President: “We are delighted that the IOC Executive Board has approved the Teahupo’o site in Tahiti for the organisation of the surfing competitions and Place de la Concorde for the urban sports events. This marks another milestone with our ambition to deliver spectacular and sustainable Games that will offer a unique experience for athletes. The organisation of the surfing events at Teahupo’o is also an opportunity to bring to life a new model for delivering Games that are aligned with the IOC’s New Norm, where the event adapts to the site, while integrating a strong environmental ambition. I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank the IOC Executive Board and its President, Thomas Bach. Our relationship built around confidence and trust enables us to introduce strong innovations, as illustrated by these choices”.

* Research conducted by IFOP for Paris 2024 on a sample of 1,004 people, representative of the French population aged 15 and over, and a sample of 520 people, representative of the French population aged 15 to 25