Filipe Toledo’s hopes for Olympic gold shattered as Paris 2024 remains at Teahupoo despite push to move to insipid beachbreak!

The small-wave wizard has long struggled at Teahupoo, site of Paris 2024 Games.

Only one week ago, it appeared Christmas had arrived early for the Brazilian Olympian Filipe Toledo following bombshell comments from the president of French Polynesia who wanted to move the Olympic surf event from Teahupoo to the beachbreak Taharuu.

The small-wave wizard Filipe Toledo whose two world titles have come in little soft-breaking waves near the Republican stronghold of San Clemente has long struggled at Teahupoo.

But, Filipe Toledo’s formidable form in the small waves meant he beat reigning Olympic surfing gold medallist Italo Ferreira and two-time Teahupoo winner Gabriel Medina into the team. The other Brazilian male is João Chianca.

(Long-time fans of pro surfing will point out that Filipe Toledo’s famous zero-point heat at Teahupoo came alongside Italo Ferreira who surfed rings around his timid countryman.)

The push to move to Taharuu forty clicks back towards Papeete came following a furore over Paris 2024’s decision to demolish the old wooden judging tower and replace it with a five-million dollar aluminium structure.

FP’s prez Moetai Brotherson said Paris 2024’s surfing should be moved from Teahupoo and to the insipid beachbreak so the damn reef didn’t need to be drilled for the new tower’s concrete pylons.

Now, insipid is a strong word, but any wave that draws tears of joy and little shivers of excitement from your old pal DR after a couple of weeks going over the falls and getting gooned at Teahupoo is, likely, insipid.

Anyway, instead of going with the beachbreak option organisers have pushed back against the dumb idea and compromised a little on the tower, reducing its footprint by twenty-five percent to make it the same size as the old wooden one.

Also, the pylons aren’t gonna be drilled quite so deep, dry toilets instead of running water ones and there’s only room for twenty-five to thirty officials instead of forty.

“The new tower, less imposing and reduced in size and weight, installed on new permanent foundations, is the solution that will ensure the longevity of the tower and guarantee that future sporting events can be held at Teahupo’o,” organisers said in a statement.