Surfing is back at the 2024 Paris Olympics after making its debut during the 2020 Toyko Games
American Carissa Moore, who won an Olympic gold medal in the women’s surfing competition three years ago, is back as a medal favorite again this year. On the men’s side, former world champion John John Florence of Hawaii will go for a medal after his Tokyo performance was hampered by a knee injury.
But there’s a twist this time.
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The surfing competition isn’t happening in Paris, or France, or Europe, or really anywhere close to all the other sports taking place at the Olympics this year. It’ll be a historic quirk for this relatively new Olympic sport.
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Here’s everything you need to know about surfing at the 2024 Paris Olympics:
Where is surfing at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
The men’s and women’s surfing competition will take place in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, a village on the southeastern coast of the French Polynesian island in the south Pacific Ocean. It’s nearly 9,800 miles away from Paris, the farthest distance between venues at the Olympics since the 1956 Melbourne Games, when equestrian events were held in Stockholm, Sweden due to Australia’s equine quarantine at the time.
Why is surfing being held in Tahiti at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Five sites under French jurisdiction applied to host Olympic surfing, according to Sports Illustrated: Biarritz, Lacanau, Les Landes, La Torche and Teahupo’o. All but Teahupo’o are in France.
“The decision to stage the surfing competitions at Teahupo’o aligns with Paris 2024’s ambition to spread the Games across France,” according to an explanation given by Paris 2024 organizers. “It offers an opportunity to engage French overseas territories and their communities in the Olympic Games — for the first time in history — while showcasing France’s rich and diverse heritage.”
MORE:How Olympic surfers prepare for spectacular waves and brace for danger in Tahiti
When is the surfing competition happening at 2024 Paris Olympics?
Surfing during the 2024 Paris Olympics is scheduled to begin Saturday, July 27 and conclude on Sunday, Aug. 4.
What’s the format for surfing at 2024 Paris Olympics?
There are 48 total participants (24 men, 24 women) who will compete over six rounds. Round 1 will consist of eight heats of three surfers each, with the winner of each heat advancing directly to Round 3. The other two surfers go to Round 2. In Round 2, there will be eight heats of two surfers. The winner of each heat advances to Round 3, and the loser is eliminated.
Starting with Round 3, also known as the Round of 16, the competition functions as a single-elimination, head-to-head bracket. Each heat will feature two surfers, with the winner advancing to the next round and the loser getting eliminated. The losers of the two semifinal heats will compete in the bronze-medal match.
Surfers are scored on their two best waves in each heat, and the athlete with the highest total score wins.
Where will the surfers stay in Tahiti?
Surfers won’t miss out on an Olympic Village simply because they’re on the other side of the world from the rest of the athletes competing in these Summer Games. Instead, they are the first athletes to ever live on a floating Olympic Village — the Aranui 5 cruise ship — since Olympic athletes are required to stay within 45 minutes of their competition venue and Teahupo’o has limited accommodations.
What to know about Teahupo’o, Tahiti
The village is known as “The End of the Road” because it’s situated where the main paved road on the island stops and turns into a rugged dirt path. But it has long been known for producing legendary waves, with plenty of international competitions held there over the past 30 years.
“A large trench carved by fresh water running off the jungle-clad mountains provides an incredibly close and relatively safe spot for spectator boats,” Reuters wrote about the site. “While the biggest waves rise some 10 (meters) and are not as tall as those in Portugal’s Nazare or Hawaii’s Peahi, the explosive power, giant tubes and sheer volume of water set Teahupo’o apart as a hydrodynamic freak of nature.”
How to watch surfing at 2024 Paris Olympics
- Streaming: NBCOlympics.com | NBC app | NBC Olympic app | Peacock
Men’s Round 1 heats are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET Saturday, July 27 on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. Women’s Round 1 is slated to begin at 5:45 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. Full coverage throughout the surfing competition will only be available through NBC’s two streaming options.
Paris Olympics 2024: How to watch Summer Games across TV, streaming
- Date: July 24-Aug. 11
- TV: NBC | CNBC | USA Network | E! | GOLF Channel | Telemundo | Universo
- Streaming: NBCOlympics.com | NBC app | NBC Olympic app | Peacock | Fubo (free trial)
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Source: Where is surfing at the 2024 Paris Olympics? Location, and more to know
