Olympic Surfers Delight in Unique Accommodations: Living on a Cruise Ship in Tahiti Beats Paris Village

The Olympics are in full swing. Sports like rugby and soccer are already in competition, and the Opening Ceremony took over the River Seine in Paris on Friday afternoon.

For the thousands of athletes headed to the City of Lights, they’ll be setting up home in the Olympic Village, where the cardboard beds are already a major discussion.

However, not all sporting events are taking place in Paris. Marseille is hosting sailing events, while Lille is hosting basketball and handball events. Soccer matches are being held across France, including in Paris, Nice, Lyon, Nantes, and Bordeaux.

Some athletes won’t be coming to Paris, let alone Europe. Surfing events are scheduled for Tahiti, the French Polynesian island in the South Pacific.

Even better, their Olympic Village is on…a boat!

According to the Olympics, it’s the first time one of their athletic villages has been on the sea.

Reuters reports that a floating village is due to limited space in Tahiti’s southern coast. In total, 28 athletes across 19 teams are living on the cruise ship during the games.

“It’s my first time on a cruise ship, so yeah, it’s fun,” New Zealand surfer Billy Stairmand told Reuters. “It’s awesome. We got nice rooms and it’s very comfortable. Got our own little space, we’ve got a gym, got everything you need so yeah, it’s a good vibe on the boat for sure.”

Billy is among the Olympic surfers posting online about their experience on the cruise ship.

@billystairmand/TikTok / Via tiktok.com, @billystairmand/TikTok / Via tiktok.com

Japanese surfer Kanoa Igarashi noted it takes five minutes on the ferry to get to the cruise ship.

@kanoaigarashi/TikTok / Via tiktok.com

Finally, German surfer Tim Elter made it clear they do not have cardboard beds like the athletes in Paris. “So yeah, we got it better than the guys in Paris,” he said.

@callmetimmey/TikTok / Via tiktok.com

Olympic surfing events kick off on July 27.

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