The ISA proposal included judging the competition remotely, with live images shot from land, water and drones.
Subsequently the French Polynesian Government decided to go forward with a plan to build a new aluminum tower on the reef.
The determination that the existing wooden judging tower, used up until August 2023, was not legally compliant, was taken by the Government of French Polynesia.
We know the old structure was there for a long time and it for sure wasn't ideal for the environs but kind of got used with it. Same kind of stuff are around the world on the beaches and reefs.
We know that we need to preserve our beaches to keep surfing on a nice environment and how to do that without destroying?
With so little support for a new judging tower and the potential for a huge public relations nightmare, it's up to the French Polynesian Government and Paris 2024 organizers to figure out how this ends.
We hope they can figure this out soon!
https://www.miramarsurfcamp.com
https://isasurf.org/the-isa-will-not-support-the-construction-of-the-new-aluminum-judges-tower-at-teahupoo-tahiti/
https://www.surfer.com/culture/isa-no-new-olympic-judging-tower-tahiti