2024 Olympics games: Tahiti aims to protect 'most beautiful wave' ahead of surf event

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00:00 It's perhaps the most stunning sight of the 2024 Olympic Games.

00:06 Far from Paris, on the island of Tahiti, lies Tiahupo, situated in between a mountain and

00:13 a lagoon.

00:15 This discreet village has become famous for its huge waves.

00:20 And with one year to go before the Games, the boats are all there for one thing - surfing.

00:27 A group of American tourists have made the trip for that very reason.

00:34 It's like one of the best waves in the world, that's why I come down here from Hawaii.

00:38 The reef being so close, all of it, it's a completely different vibe.

00:42 It's like some of the craziest waves happened here.

00:46 I mean, obviously Pipeline 2 back home in Hawaii, but this place is something else.

00:51 It's completely different.

00:54 All are basically professional athletes.

01:02 Because Tiahupo is as fascinating as it is dangerous.

01:06 Brutal and fast, the waves can reach a height of 15 metres.

01:11 Several surfers have lost their lives here, and boating accidents are not uncommon.

01:19 Even this boat captain, who's lived here for over 30 years, is sometimes surprised

01:24 by the ferocity of the waves.

01:27 In the time we were talking, I drifted for 20 or 30 seconds.

01:31 Suddenly you're being hit by a second wave, which is unforgiving.

01:34 It's very dangerous.

01:36 In Tiahupo, Olympic officials will be staying with local residents next summer.

01:43 How many people I can host depends on if they are a couple or individuals.

01:48 If it's individual, two people, one in the bedroom, one on the couch.

01:51 If it's a couple, two in the bedroom and one on the couch.

01:54 So three overall.

01:56 The help is vital, as the village isn't cut out for such an event.

02:01 There are no hotels, no Olympic village.

02:05 Athletes will have to sleep on a cruise ship.

02:10 This will bring us tourists in the years to come.

02:13 But when it comes to 2024, we're not necessarily expecting thousands of tourists.

02:19 Constrained by the small size of the site, organisers will be banking on its fan zones

02:24 scattered across the island of Tahiti to create a fervent following.

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