ISA ‘welcomes’ pause in Olympics works at Tahiti venue

PARIS: The International Surf Association (ISA) said on Wednesday it welcomed the decision by authorities to suspend work on the venue in Tahiti for the Paris Olympics events.

Work has been put on hold after damage was done to coral during tests last week, raising the prospect of the Pacific island being stripped of its hosting rights. 

A new judges´ tower had been planned to replace the current wooden structure for the surfing competitions at the Games, taking place between July 27-30.

“The French Polynesian government has taken the decision to pause all further testing and preparations to draw lessons following the incident on the reef,” the ISA said on social media. “The ISA was saddened and surprised to see that a test undertaken by the French Polynesian government resulted in the coral reef at Teahupo´o being damaged by a barge. —AFP