PAPARA, Tahiti — Tahiti welcomed the 2024 Olympic surfing event on Friday (July 26) with blazing sunshine, songs and Polynesian culture honouring the sport's ancient roots, a world away from the rain of the Games' opening ceremony in Paris.

At a beachside park 40 km from the surfing venue of Teahupo'o, surfers poured sand from their home beaches into a communal vessel, combining the different colours and textures to symbolise unity and respect for the ocean.

"It was nice, definitely, very different to Paris," said Ramzi Boukhiam, who is representing Morocco in his second Olympic Games after the sport's debut in Tokyo.

"We're like 16,000 km away but we're in paradise and it was nice to see all the athletes, all the countries."

Joining the Paris opening would have been fun but was not possible given the distance, he said.

"Of course it would have been nice because you would be there with the whole nation, all Morocco, all the athletes, but the main goal is to win the contest and do that you have to come here early and get ready," Boukhiam said.

Related

---