Biarritz (AFP)
The sites of Hossegor-Seignosse-Capbreton (Landes) and Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) will send separate "letters of intent" to host the surfing events of the Paris-2024 Olympics, a double step that is controversial but could change in joint candidature after the visit of the Organizing Committee of the Games.
In addition to the Basque and Landes sites, the seaside resort of Lacanau (Gironde), associated with Bordeaux-Métropole, the Breton site of La Torche (Finistère), and the Polynesian island of Tahiti and its famous spot of Teahupo'o are in the running to welcome the surf at the JO-2024.
The city of Biarritz and the department of Landes have both confirmed the sending Monday, deadline, letters of intent for each of the two sites, that should visit early August a mission of the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games ( OCOG).
For Biarritz, this separate "pre-application" makes sense, with the two sites just 40 km apart, "not having the same assets". Biarritz, historic surf spot in France, with "its infrastructure, its hotel capacity, its airport near the city center, casinos", and Hossegor, annual site of a stage of the men's world circuit, "undoubtedly more qualitative in term of waves, "said deputy mayor of Biarritz delegate surfing, Laurent Ortiz.
Once the visit of the OCOG, and "its known guidelines and criteria", "we will meet around the table with the Landes, for a joint application behind the spot with which we have the best chance of winning," said M Ortiz.
The deadline for the submission of the effective application forms is September 30, said the elected representative.
But these separate pre-candidatures crumple the Landes, for which they "weaken the file rather than strengthen it, facing competition, especially with Tahiti," said Xavier Fortinon, president (PS) of the department. He recalls that the landais spot had made the first application, as of 2017. Before Biarritz joins, and that the two join in 2018 for a common file. Since Biarritz recently decided to send his own letter.
The genesis of this "pre-candidature" is the specifications of the OCOG, which requires that the men's and women's competitions take place in the same place, excluding that Biarritz and the Landes share the events, as they could have done. consider, says one source close to the file. If the OCOG leans for one of the two sites, it would then be to agree to divide the competition itself, and the extra-sports: entertainment, fan zone, media coverage, etc.
The sites of Biarritz on one side, Hossegor-Seignosse-Capbreton on the other side have "complementary assets", it is appropriate, without excluding quite that at a given moment they can "become unique candidate".
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