The International Surfing Association (ISA) said it proposed that next year’s Olympic competitions be judged remotely after plans to build a new tower at a famous Tahiti beach sparked fierce local resistance.
A proposal made to Paris 2024 organizers and the Polynesian government suggested the use of “live images shot from land, water and drones” to judge events at Teahupo’o on the French Pacific island.
The proposition, revealed by the ISA in a statement on Tuesday, came after a construction barge used to install a new judges’ tower in the sea broke through part of a colorful coral reef during testing.
Photo: AFP
“Faced with this change of position, Paris 2024 will contact the key stakeholders ... to understand how the ISA envisages the organization of events without access to a judges’ tower,” the Paris Olympics organizing committee said.
It added that surfing’s governing body had been “fully included in discussions since 2021 over the need to build a new tower for the proper organization of broadcasting and refereeing operations.”
The issue has had environmentalists up in arms and an online petition against the project has attracted more than 227,000 signatures.
The ISA said it put forth its proposal for remote judging on Dec. 9, a day before French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson announced that the surfing contest would stay at its planned venue.
Brotherson presented a plan in stages for construction of the new aluminium tower, which is to be completed by May 13, in time for a World Surf League event seen as a dress rehearsal for the Olympics.
During the talks with concerned parties, he had won “unanimous backing from mayors, the [Tahiti] surfing federation and even the associations, except one,” Brotherson said.
French Minister of Sports Amelie Oudea-Castera criticized the testing, which damaged the beach’s fragile corals, for being “not well prepared,” but ruled out any relocation of the surfing events.
OFFENSE SHINES: First baseman Pan Chie-kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning as all 10 batters Taiwan used contributed at least one hit toward their team total of 14 One day after their first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan yesterday bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over the US, keeping their hopes for a spot in tomorrow’s final alive. The win in the Super Round marked Taiwan’s first triumph over the US at a top-tier international baseball tournament since 2003. Their previous win over the US was at the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999. Yesterday’s game was tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of
“Please love us. Please cheer us on. We have been working hard. Do not give up on us.” Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien’s heartfelt plea echoed across the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 tournament after a historic victory. Rather than boasting, Chen was making an earnest appeal after leading Taiwan to a 4-0 victory over Japan to claim their first major international baseball title at the senior level. Chen’s decisive three-run homer in the fifth inning and his Premier12 leading .632 batting average secured him the Premier12’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. He was also named one of the tournament’s outstanding defensive players
WELL-AGED: Although the youngest team in the tournament, Taiwan featured several veteran stars, including Sunday’s home-run hero Chen Chieh-hsien “I will never forget today,” veteran Taiwanese pitcher Chen Kuan-yu said after Taiwan on Sunday night blanked Japan to secure their first ever gold in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 championship. Chen, who at 34 is the oldest member on the team, said Taiwan “made every difficult step to come to today’s victory. I will never forget today.” Taiwan made history when they won their first gold medal of the Premier12 tournament, beating Japan in a 4-0 shutout victory in the final at the Tokyo Dome. It was a jaw-dropping victory for many baseball commentators who went into the game with
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11
RSS