- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
Surfing tower will be built, says Paris Games chief
The controversial building of a tower to judge the surfing event at the Paris Olympics will go ahead despite the sport's federation saying it is not required, chief organiser Tony Estanguet said on Wednesday.
A proposal made by the International Surf Association (ISA) to Paris 2024 organisers and the Polynesian government suggested the use of "live images shot from land, water and drones" to judge events at Teahupo'o on the French Pacific island of Tahiti.
However, Estanguet -- president of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Organising Committee (Cojo) -- dismissed their offer as had Polynesian leader Moetai Brotherson.
"We respect the almost unanimous decision taken locally to continue with the launch of the construction work," he said at his end-of-year press conference at Cojo headquarters.
Estanguet, 45, explained the option offered by the ISA had been studied and found wanting.
"It was judged to be not feasible on several fronts," said the three-time canoeing Olympic champion.
"On the technical front in terms of filming the images but also surrounding security it poses a lot of questions."
Etienne Thobois, director general of Paris 2024, said it was a matter of urgency to get the work underway.
Brotherson has programmed that the work should be finished on the new aluminium tower by May 13, in time for a World Surf League (WSL) event seen as a dress rehearsal for the Olympics.
"Five months before the test events, eight months out from the Games themselves it is imperative we take a step forward," he said.
- 'Most expensive Games' -
Questions over the tower have been posed since a construction barge used to install a new judges' tower in the sea broke through part of a colourful coral reef during technical testing in December.
Work was subsequently suspended by the Polynesian government with French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera claiming the test had been "badly prepared".
The issue has had environmentalists up in arms and an online petition against the project has attracted more than 228,000 signatures.
Estanguet also took issue with World Athletics president and chief organiser of the 2012 London Games Sebastian Coe's claim on Monday the tickets for the Games -- which run from July 26 to August 11 -- are expensive.
Coe's concerns echoed that of many, not just the general public but also those involved in the sporting world, who have criticised the pricing.
"We have to accept for all sorts of reasons that Paris will be the most expensive Games both for the international federations but also for the fans," said Coe.
Estanguet, though, hit back claiming they were within the same price range as London and Tokyo in 2021, though, barely any spectators were able to watch events due to Covid-19 restrictions.
"Whether it was London or Tokyo more recently, tickets were £20 ($25), which taking into consideration inflation is 27 euros ($30), and the highest price they were £725 so a bit more than 1000 euros in today's prices," said Estanguet.
More than 7.6 million tickets have already gone on sale for the Paris Games. The cheapest are 24 euros, but others, notably for athletics can cost as much as 990 euros.
The largest amount still available are for the football, which takes place in stadiums throughout France.
L.Harper--AMWN