Swell news for Tahiti as Paris opts to host Olympic surfing 10,000 miles away

Organisers criticised over environmental impact as site is thousands of miles from host city

The organisers of the 2024 Paris Olympics have chosen Tahiti as the site for surfing events, arguing that the waves are more dependable than the French coast, despite being nearly 10,000 miles (more than 15,000km) from the host city.

Tahiti is part of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity, which is an administrative division of France with semi-autonomous status. The International Olympic Committee still has to approve the choice, but Paris organisers believe the famous waves at Teahupo'o in Tahiti - among the most spectacular and powerful in the world - mean it would be a more predictable wave site than the Atlantic coast of France.