TEAHUPO’O, Tahiti — Surfing makes its second Olympic appearance at the Paris 2024 Games after a successful debut in Tokyo, with competition being held this time on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti.
Here are some key details on the surfing competition and what to watch for.
Why is the surfing in Tahiti?
France has great surfing beaches but they are usually flat in summer. By contrast, Tahiti, on the other side of the world, cops huge swells out of the South Pacific throughout the southern hemisphere winter and when they hit the reef at Teahupo’o, something special happens. The wave is among the most perfect, powerful and intimidating in the world, ensuring a stern test for Olympians.
When is the surfing on?
The competition window runs from July 27-Aug. 5, but only four days are required to complete the event. Competition may not run on days the waves are too small, or too big, or if the winds are coming from the wrong direction — winds blowing offshore are best. Saturday and Sunday look good before a storm system moves too close and blows things out for a few days.
Who is competing in surfing?
Twenty-four men and 24 women from 21 different countries. Big names, including Hawai‘i’s John John Florence and Caroline Marks, Brazil’s Gabriel Medina and Australian Molly Picklum will take on surfers from lesser-known surfing nations, such as Yang Siqi from China, Alan Cleland from Mexico and Anat Lelior from Israel.
Round one are three-person heats, with the winner going direct to round three and the losers reseeded into the elimination round two. Round two and beyond are two-person heats, straight knockout.
How is surfing scored?
A panel of five judges scores rides out of 10 points and a surfer’s best two waves are combined to give a total out of a possible 20 points.
Surfers can be docked points if they get an interference — getting in the way of another surfer who has priority on a wave.
There are no designated points for any particular maneuver, but Teahupo’o is all about getting tubed — riding inside the spinning vortex of water as the wave breaks. Taking off on the biggest, most intense waves at their most critical moment and riding inside the barrel for the longest will score highly.
What is the spit in surfing?
Watch out for the spit — a blast of compressed air and water that shoots out of the tube as it collapses. Depending on the break, it can range in intensity, from the spray of champagne bottle, to a firehose. Teahupo’o is definitely at the firehose end of the spectrum. A surfer coming out with the spit will score well. Coming out after the spit requires real mastery and will likely mean an excellent score.
Turns here score less than at other places, but might come into play if the waves are smaller or less perfect than normal.
