Paris claims world-class status for its cuisine, its architecture, its art and museums. Paris does not, however, offer world-class surfing. So when the Olympics returned to Paris, organizers had to look south — many thousands of miles south — to find an appropriate surfing venue.
As gymnastics, swimming and athletics take place all over the City of Lights, surfing Olympians will compete for gold nearly 10,000 miles away, in the French territory of Tahiti. Starting on July 27, Olympic surfers will challenge the waves of Teahupo’o, one of the most revered, and fearsome, surfing spots on the planet. — which means “wall of skulls” or “pile of heads,” a reference to a grim Tahitian legend of grotesque revenge — is an ideal location for a surfing venue, a backdrop of lush green mountains rising above black sand beaches and brilliant blue curls.
The combination of South Pacific swells and an underwater trench near the beach makes for spectacular waves. “It’s probably one of the most rewarding, dangerous waves in the world,” Team USA surfer Griffin Colapinto told Yahoo Sports earlier this month. “You can either get the best ride of your life or you could die, but the place is absolutely gorgeous.
” Teahupo’o, is also called “The End of the Road,” and for good reason; there’s little in the way of civilization this far from France, and that means there’s very little to come between the surfer and the ocean. “Tahiti is so far out and at a reef pass.