Tahiti will host surfing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee executive board approved the proposed venue, an island in French Polynesia that is about 9,800 miles from Paris.
It will break the record for the farthest Olympic medal competition to be held outside the host. In 1956, equestrian events were moved out of Melbourne due to quarantine laws and held five months earlier in Stockholm, some 9,700 miles away.
The Paris 2024 executive board approved the site in December -- specifically, the village of Teahupo’o -- but had to get final approval from the IOC.
Tahiti was chosen by Paris 2024 over other applicants Biarritz, Lacanau, Les Landes and La Torche, all part of mainland France.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said Tuesday that Tahiti had “overwhelming support” from current surfers and “some famous names” from Paris 2024’s presentation at this week’s IOC meetings.
Surfing will debut at the Tokyo Games -- at Shidashita Beach, about 40 miles from Tokyo -- but is not on the permanent Olympic program.
Surfing was among sports added to the Paris 2024 program in June and could be added for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
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