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Olympic surfers score with ‘awesome’ floating athlete village

VaselineJuly 26, 2024

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Olympic surfers score with ‘awesome’ floating athlete village

TEAHUPO’O, Tahiti, July 25 (Reuters) – The Olympic surfers based in Tahiti will miss the spectacle of the Games’ opening ceremony on Friday but may have outdone their Paris-based counterparts by staying on a cargo ship that doubles as a floating athletes’ village.

Due to limited accommodation options in the small villages along Tahiti’s southern coast, Paris 2024 decided to house most of its surfers at the unique 126-metre (413-foot) Aranui-5which is anchored in the lagoon, approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) from the Teahupo’o location.

“It’s my first time on a cruise ship, so yeah, it’s fun,” said New Zealand surfer Billy Stairmand.

“It’s great. We have nice rooms and it’s very comfortable. We have our own little space, we have a gym, everything you need, so yeah, it’s definitely a good atmosphere on the boat,” Stairmand told Reuters.

On Thursday, Stairmand was on board joking with South African surfers Jordy Smith and Matt McGillivray as they watched their Olympic rugby sevens teams compete in Paris.

The ship typically holds 230 passengers and charges about $5,700 per person for a 12-day, 11-night cruise to the Marquesas in a standard cabin, taking cargo in addition to paying passengers. If you want the presidential suite, that will cost you about $10,000 per person.

On board are 28 athletes from 19 delegations, each in a single room with a double bed – no one got the presidential suite.

Peruvian Sol Aguirre showed off her room in an Instagram post, complete with a flat-screen TV, flower garlands and views of the jungle-covered mountains above the lagoon from her balcony.

Tenders transport the surfers between the competition location and the Aranuiwhich means the great path, and get fresh food and other supplies from a nearby village.

“It’s a half-hour drive every morning, but I think that’s just part of the process,” Stairmand said. “It’s cool. I love Tahiti, it’s a really powerful place, so it’s great to wake up here and look at the coastline every morning and feel refreshed and energized.”

Surfers said it was a shame to miss the hustle and bustle of the Parisian village, the opening ceremony and the lack of spectators, but the unique location, the perfect waves and the relaxed local atmosphere made up for a lot.

“Of course it would have been cool to have some spectators. But at the same time, we’re here to do a job, you know, we’re here to get medals and sometimes it can probably be distracting,” Stairmand said.

“We are in our own little bubble and we do everything we can to win those medals.”

(Reporting by Lincoln Feast in Tahiti; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)