Daily Times

Tahiti welcomed the Paris Olympics in low-key fashion on Tuesday, with the idyllic French Polynesian island letting its natural beauty and relaxed vibe set the tone for surfing’s second Games appearance.

Tahiti, some 16,000km from Paris, is hosting the surfing events for the Paris Olympics because it is home to one of the world’s greatest waves and because beaches in France are typically flat at this time of year.

Visitors arriving at the airport in the capital Papeete were greeted with Olympic posters, as well as songs and ukulele music, but elsewhere the Games’ presence was mostly muted.

Along the road towards the surfing venue of Teahupo’o, sandwiched between steep, forested mountains and a sparkling blue lagoon, Olympic billboards were comfortably outnumbered by stalls selling fresh fish or mangoes and other fruit.

“We’ve been up to Teahupo’o a few times to see the waves, to see the surfers, but obviously today it’s blocked off because of the big event,” said graphic designer Meti Vukovic, who was with his family enjoying a day at the beach some 10km from Teahupo’o.

“So unfortunately you can’t access it unless you have a pass.

“I don’t really know much about the event only that its one of the biggest events in Tahiti. I don’t think they’ve ever had the Olympics in French Polynesia before, at least the surfing edition.