Take a Tour of the Olympic Surfing Village Cruise Ship (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Jul 22, 2024 4:10 PM ET

Many factors separate surfing from all other sports at the Paris 2024 Olympics. First, surfing will not be in Paris; it will be in Tahiti, some 10,000 away from the City of Lights, and the furthest medal-crowning venue from the host city in history. Second, it’s surfing; it’s at the whim of mother nature, unlike say, fencing or basketball. And lastly, the surfers’ accommodations are quite different than the traditional Olympic village.

Instead of a dorm-room-style hub, in which all the athletes from all the different sports, commune together, and rest their heads on (allegedly) cardboard beds at night, the surfers will be staying on a luxury cruise ship, anchored just off the wave at Teahupo’o. It’s called the Aranui 5, and they’re dubbing it the “first-ever floating Olympic village.”

Part freighter, part cruise ship, the Aranui 5 typically motors between Tahiti, the Marquesas Islands, and Bora Bora. Per their website, it features:

“A reception area, dining room, a Sky bar, dancing room, 2 conference rooms, lounges, a library, video and computer room, boutique, swimming pool, fitness room, 1 massage room and a Spa.”

@kanoaigarashi
i think our athlete village in tahiti is better than the actual one in paris #olympics #athletevillage #surf
♬ original sound - Kanoa Igarashi

And Kanoa Igarashi, representing Japan in the Paris 2024 Games, gave us a tour of the ship, the common areas, and his private room via TikTok. He shows a 24-hour dining hall, downtime activities like ping pong and foosball, a tattoo studio (for some reason), a luxury room with a private deck overlooking the water, and…no cardboard beds.

From the looks of it, the surfers scored when it came down to the accommodations. Now let’s just hope they score when it comes to the waves.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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