According to the city hall, the purpose of the trip was to work on three issues: Nuit Blanche, a cultural event that will be held in 2024 “under the symbol of overseas territories”; “the climate emergency”, with Anne Hidalgo proposing that mayors from New Caledonia and Polynesia join the delegation of the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF), which she will lead as president during COP 28 in Dubai; and the Olympic Games, where the surfing event is scheduled to take place at Teahupoo in Tahiti.
However, Anne Hidalgo did not personally visit the Olympic site, instead sending Pierre Rabadan as her representative, the city hall acknowledged on Monday. “At the request of the President of French Polynesia (Moetai Brotherson, editor’s note), the Mayor of Paris did not visit the site on Saturday, due to local tensions related to the construction of a judges’ tower. A meeting on site was planned for the same day by the Polynesian presidency,” according to the statement.
