Paris Olympics event held in one of world’s most dangerous places CANCELLED again sparking chaos in race to seal medals
OLYMPIC surfing chiefs are scrambling to get their events finished in time after action was again cancelled on Wednesday.
Paris 2024’s surfing events are taking place nearly 10,000 miles away in Tahiti.
This week’s action has been marred by difficult conditions at what has been dubbed one of “the most dangerous places on Earth”.
Tuesday’s scheduled women’s quarter-finals and men’s semis were postponed due to adverse weather conditions.
Organisers hoped to get competition back underway yesterday, despite dangerous stormy waves of up to 15ft.
Eventually they performed a U-turn, however, again cancelling proceedings for the day.
Competition chiefs had hoped to finish up on Thursday.
But they may now have to hand out medals over the weekend instead – with the waiting period finishing on Monday.
Action is scheduled to resume at 7am local time on Thursday morning (5pm GMT on Wednesday).
As per Reuters, Surfline’s Kevin Wallis said: “In a perfect world, you get four really great days of surf like we had on Monday morning, but that doesn’t always happen.
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“We’ve been super lucky so far. We’ve had two-and-a-half days of anywhere from good to unbelievably all-time good in the case of Monday morning.
“So I would just look whether we get anything more like that the rest of the waiting period – probably not – but we’ve got a day-and-a-half to finish.
“We’ve got to try and find the best day-and-a-half left in the waiting period.”
Earlier this week, surfer Jack Robinson had to be dramatically rescued during an Olympics heat in Tahiti.
Treacherous conditions led to Robinson being thrown off his board.
When the 26-year-old disappeared into the wash, officials rushed out on jetskis to pull him out.
The Aussie, who was thankfully OK, later admitted that he could have drowned.
‘SO DANGEROUS AND SO CRAZY’
Robinson said: “Where I was on the inside between where the two waves collided on the right of the channel and left of the way we’re surfing, that is the most dangerous place in the whole world.
“It’s another level when you are in there – but you try talking with God and just be safe.
“I didn’t get much air. There wasn’t much time.
“I got reminded of so many guys who have had so many bad wipe-outs here.
“I have had some pretty bad wipe-outs but in a contest it’s different. You have way more adrenaline and there is way more on the line.
“Going back out was a test of physicality and spirit.
“We are in an ocean. It is the biggest, most powerful source of life we have on this planet.
“The waves are so powerful. It doesn’t relate to any other sport.
“Maybe an avalanche coming down on your head on a mountain. Maybe it’s similar to that. It’s so dangerous and so crazy.”
