Olympic Surfers Sleep on Cruise Ship in Tahiti, a 1st for the Games

Paris 2024 Olympics - Surfing - Women's Round 1 - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia - July 27, 2024. A rainbow is seen near the judging towers. Ben Thouard/Pool via REUTERS
Paris 2024 Olympics - Surfing - Women's Round 1 - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia - July 27, 2024. A rainbow is seen near the judging towers. Ben Thouard/Pool via REUTERS
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Olympic Surfers Sleep on Cruise Ship in Tahiti, a 1st for the Games

Paris 2024 Olympics - Surfing - Women's Round 1 - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia - July 27, 2024. A rainbow is seen near the judging towers. Ben Thouard/Pool via REUTERS
Paris 2024 Olympics - Surfing - Women's Round 1 - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia - July 27, 2024. A rainbow is seen near the judging towers. Ben Thouard/Pool via REUTERS

Cardboard beds might be Paris' solution to providing athletes a place to sleep for the 2024 Olympics. But some 10,000 miles away in Tahiti, where the surfing competition is taking place, it's a cruise ship.
About 45 minutes from the surfing venue, the Aranui 5 ship is able to accommodate about 230 passengers in over 100 cabins, with eight guest decks, a spa and gym, according to its website. It's anchored just off shore and the surfers, coaches and others take small boats to get back and forth, The Associated Press reported.
“They have a wonderful location for the village, which is on a ship,” French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson told AP. “It’s unusual, but they seem to like it.”
While media have been restricted from boarding the ship, athletes have shared photos and video on their social media that offer a glimpse into what the Olympics say is the first-ever floating athlete village.
“I think our athlete village in Tahiti is better than the actual one in Paris,” surfer Kanoa Igarashi of Japan said on TikTok, sharing a video tour of the accommodations.
In the video, he shows the amenities on board, including a 24-hour dining hall, fully stocked Olympic gift store and activity center with ping pong and foosball tables.
Matt Scorringe, a coach traveling with the New Zealand surfing team, shared an Instagram video from the ship showing a pool with a statue of the Olympic rings at one end.
On TikTok, German surfer Tim Elter posted the sea view from his cabin, jokingly tapping the bed frame, saying how it's not cardboard like those at the Olympic village for athletes in Paris.
The ship helps alleviate some of the larger-than-usual crowds and need for new buildings that locals and activists said could affect the small town at the end of the road on the small island.
Not all athletes competing in Tahiti are staying on the ship.
Some national teams or individuals have rented houses closer to the waves, sharing photos of boardwalks leading from their back doors to the shore, communal dinners with teammates and lush green lawns lined with palm trees.



Guardiola Signs 2-year Contract Extension at Man City, Eyes 'More Trophies'

(FILES) Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Etihad stadium, in Manchester, north-west England, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
(FILES) Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Etihad stadium, in Manchester, north-west England, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
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Guardiola Signs 2-year Contract Extension at Man City, Eyes 'More Trophies'

(FILES) Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Etihad stadium, in Manchester, north-west England, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
(FILES) Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Etihad stadium, in Manchester, north-west England, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)

Pep Guardiola committed himself to Manchester City for another two years on Thursday and quickly set his sights on adding to his record-breaking reign.
Guardiola ended uncertainty about his future by signing a contract extension that would prolong his tenure as City manager to 11 seasons.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for," said the 53-year-old Catalan coach, whose current deal was due to expire at the end of this season. "Hopefully now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Guardiola has overseen a period of unprecedented dominance since joining City in 2016. He has gone on to win six Premier League titles in seven years at the Etihad Stadium and also won the Champions League. In total, he has won 15 major trophies at the club.
He has set new benchmarks, with City becoming the first team to win four-straight English league titles and the first to amass 100 points in a single season in 2018. He also led City to the treble in 2023, winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in one season — matching Manchester United's achievement in 1999.
“Manchester City means so much to me. This is my ninth season here. We have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club,” Guardiola added in his statement. “That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.”
Publicly, Guardiola gave no indication about whether he would stay on even as he entered the final months of his contract, The Associated Press reported. That led to speculation about potential successors, but City remained hopeful he could be convinced to sign another extension.
He has already managed City for longer than any his former clubs, having spent four years at Barcelona and three at Bayern Munich.
City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said he was “delighted” that Guardiola is staying.
“His hunger for improvement and success remains insatiable and the direct beneficiaries of that will continue to be our players and coaching staff, the culture of our club, and the English game at large,” he said.
“This renewal will take Pep beyond a decade of coaching Manchester City and the opportunity to continue to re-write the managerial record books.”
Guardiola's new deal comes at a time when City's Premier League dominance appears to be under threat. The four-time defending champion has lost four games in succession in all competitions — the worst losing streak of Guardiola's managerial career.
Guardiola is widely considered one of the greatest managers of all time, having been a serial winner at Barcelona, Bayern and City. He has won 33 major titles with those clubs, including three Champions League trophies.