The Olympic Village is an iconic part of the athlete experience. For a few weeks, the world’s elite competitors pile into dormitories like college students and live in their own secluded campus. Everyone’s heard about the recycled cardboard beds being used at the village in Paris, but nearly 10,000 miles away, the surfers in Tahiti are having an Olympic experience unlike anything the Games have seen before.
Not only is this year’s surfing event setting the record for the furthest competition from a host city in Olympic history, but the competitors will also be the first athletes to ever live on a floating Olympic Village. Instead of the Parisian dorms, surfing competitors will board on a cruise ship -- the Aranui 5 from the Aranui cruise company.
The surfing competition will commence in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, a world famous surf break off the coast of a small village dubbed as “The End of the Road,” as it rests where the main paved road on the island stops and turns into a rugged dirt path.
The Paris Olympic committee requires all athletes to be housed within 45 minutes of their competition venue. Due to the small size of the village of Teahupo’o, there were not many viable options to house the surfers. The committee considered renovating a hotel that had been out of use for over two decades, but ultimately decided that the cruise ship would be the best option.
Despite the unconventional conditions, the surfers will undoubtedly be living well, as the Aranui 5 is a luxury vessel with 103 cabins on board. As opposed to the athletes in Paris who are sharing rooms, the Olympians in Tahiti will each be staying in their own private room with a regular bed, balcony ... and an ocean view.
The ship, which usually services tourists on trips throughout the Polynesian islands, is also equipped with a fitness center, outdoor pool, library, spa and a panoramic bar.
While their focus will of course be shredding the legendary waves of Teahupo’o, the athletes will definitely get to enjoy their stay in the tropical paradise.
