1st Stop of The Paddle League 2018: Air France Paddle Festival by Chris Parker

Hi Chris, why did the Paddle League choose the Air France Paddle Festival?

The fundamental aim of The Paddle League is to tell an interesting story about our sport, one that helps unify the paddling community whilst also reaching a wider audience.

If we’re talking about the story of paddling, there has to be a chapter on Tahiti. It’s the strongest paddling nation on the world without a doubt. Outrigger canoe paddling (“Va’a” as it’s known locally) is quite literally the national sport. Their top paddlers are heroes. Tahitians’ love of the ocean has been transferred to stand up paddling in recent years, and now they’re starting to flex their muscles. Tahitians have always traveled to the international races, and we decided it was about time the world came and challenged them in their own waters.

The Air France Paddle Festival has been Tahiti’s biggest race for the past few years, so after we decided Tahiti had to be part of The Paddle League story, this race was a clear choice. SHORT ANSWER: Amazing paddling culture + an established event.

Who is expected to compete, will all the paddlers go there who were present on the main circuits?

There will be a lot of international athletes competing in Tahiti for the first time. It won’t get quite the same number of elite athletes as the Gorge or Carolina (simply due to travel logistics), but it will certainly be the most competitive international race Tahiti has ever seen. Expect top names like Connor Baxter, Titouan Puyo, Lincoln Dews, Michael Booth, Olivia Piana, Sonni Honscheid and Fiona Wylde to be on the start line. But what we’re really excited about isn’t the internationals, it’s the locals.

Tahiti has such a rich paddling culture, and there are probably 20 or 30 “dark horse” athletes who could easily finish top 10 despite never having raced outside Tahiti. Expect a few paddlers to make a name for themselves at this event. And when you include Tahiti’s international stalwarts Georges Cronsteadt, Steeve Teihotaata and Rete Ebb to name a few, it’s going to be an amazing clash. We see this as a battle between the proud Tahitian warriors and the international challengers! At the end of the day I’m sure everyone will enjoy a beer on the beach, but out on the water it’s going to be intense!!

Big thanks to the Manava Suites Resort and Tahiti Tourisme sponsors of the event!