In an inevitable dynamic for any event of such magnitude, an endless number of controversial episodes have been splashing, from the beginning, to the ultimate celebration of the sport. From the contamination of the Seine water to the resisted surf control tower in Tahiti, a dispute that reveals a fact: the list, as extensive as it is diverse, exceeds strictly sporting issues and stands out from the margins of mainland France.
The most recent of the tensions with a notable impact in Paris 2024 not only occurred in a French overseas territory but, unlike others such as terrorist threats, altered the organization’s original plans. With the sacred fire now in its ninth day of a journey of more than 12 thousand kilometers, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced that the torch will finally not pass through New Caledonia.
Since Monday, May 13, the archipelago in Oceania has been reporting a climate of serious social upheaval in its capital, Noumea, based on a bill by the French government that seeks to enable people with less than 10 years of residence to vote. Led by the Kanaks - an original local population that sees their majority status threatened - the protests have already left at least six dead, dozens injured and more than 200 arrested.
The state of emergency was declared on Wednesday, May 15 and will apply until the 27th of the same month. The riots, mainly verified in the burning of cars and buildings, looting and clashes, led to the deployment of the army and the presence of 2,700 police officers and constituted a climate radically opposed to that of peace and union promoted by the relay of the Olympic torch.
The Olympic flame was scheduled to stop in New Caledonia on Monday, June 11, to embark on a route with bicycle, canoe and horseback riding, in an attempt to reflect its own traditions. In any case, the “France of the three oceans” will be well represented in the journey. Between June 8 and 17, the fire will descend in Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, La Reunion and French Polynesia, the home of surfing.
This is not the first cancellation of a stage in a torch tour. In the run-up to Beijing 2008, for instance, the relay marathon in Paris could not take place as a result of protests. Closer in time, the health situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the usual layout in Osaka and Matsuyama and the streets were replaced by a closed circuit without an audience.
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