From Paris to Tahiti: the most exotic sub-venues of the Summer Olympic Games

Each edition of the Summer Olympics was associated with the name of a city that served as its main headquarters. The fact is that in some cases a city has hosted all the competitions of the same Olympic event, making it the delegate to several sub-sites various competitions.

Almost all of them are usually near the center of the Games. However, there are also exceptions that carry the Olympic spirit away from the venue of the opening ceremony. Until now, the equestrian in Stockholm at the 1956 Melbourne Gamesin a certain obligatory way, is the most exotic sub-venue in the history of the Games, but Tahiti will be chased in just a few weeks in the Paris 2024 surf.

The farthest sub-venue from each venue of each edition of the Summer Olympic Games

-Paris 1900 – Golf at Comppiégne (87 km from Paris)
-San Luis 1904: all in San Luis
-London 1908 – Voyage to Hunters Quay (696 km from London)
-Stockholm 1912 – Road cycling on Lake Malar (90 km from Stockholm)
-Antwerp 1920 – Voyage to Amsterdam (159 km from Antwerp)
-Paris 1924 – Voyage to Le Havre (197 km from Paris)
-Amsterdam 1928 – Football in Arnhem (97 km from Amsterdam)
-Los Angeles 1932 – Road cycling in Ventura County (116 km from Los Angeles)
-Berlin 1936 – Voyage to Kiel (366 km from Berlin)
-London 1948 – Yacht sailing in Torbay (266 km from London)
-Helsinki 1952 – Football in Tanpere (179 km from Helsinki)
-Melbourne 1956 – Equestrian in Stockholm (15,590 km from Melbourne)
-Rome 1960 – Football in Livorno (313 km from Rome)
-Tokyo 1964 – Football in Osaka (500 km from Tokyo)
-Mexico City 1968 – Soccer in Guadalajara (556 km from Mexico City)
-Munich 1972 – Sailing and water skiing on Schilksee (898 km from Munich) and Kiel (887 km)
-Montreal 1976 – Soccer in Toronto (542 km from Montreal)
-Moscow 1980 – Football in Leningrad (703 km from Moscow)
-Los Angeles 1984 – Soccer in Annapolis (4,293 km from Los Angeles) and in Boston (4,197 km)
-Seoul 1988 – Sailing and football in Busan (403 km from Seoul)
-Barcelona 1992 – Football in Valencia (350 km from Barcelona) and in Zaragoza (310 km)
-Atlanta 1996 – Soccer in Miami (1,075 km from Atlanta) and in Washington (1,040 km)
-Sydney 2000 – Football in Adelaide (1,165 km from Sydney)
-Athens 2004 – Football in Heraklion (344 km from Athens)
-Beijing 2008 – Equestrian in Hong Kong (1,930 km from Beijing)
-London 2012 – Football in Glasgow (518 km from London)
-Rio de Janeiro 2016 – Football in Manaus (2,850 km from Rio de Janeiro)
-Tokyo 2021 – Football in Sapporo (790 km from Tokyo)
-Paris 2024 – Surfing in Teahupo’o (Tahiti, 15,715 km from Paris)

They are, by far, the two sub-venues farthest from the main venue of the Summer Games, but they are not the only ones. Almost always in the same country, there are many kilometers of distance between some competitions and the main place in some editions. These are the sub-venues further away from the host city of the Summer Olympic Games along with history.

Photos: all from the MD archive

Paris Surf 2024 in Teahupo’o (Tahiti)

15,715 km from headquarters

This will be the most exotic sub-venue in the history of the Olympic Games. France chose to surf in Teahupo’o, on the Pacific island of Tahiti in French Polynesia. This will bridge the largest distance between a host and a sub-host in the history of the Summer Games.

2

Melbourne Equestrian 1956 in Stockholm

15,590 km from headquarters

The fact is that it will not last long because of the unusual situation that occurred in the 1956 Melbourne Games with the equestrian. The harshness of Australia’s quarantine laws prevented horses from taking a designated break to compete. As a result, it was decided to move the equestrian event forward by several months and bring it to Stockholm, until 2024 the sub-venue farthest from the official headquarters of the Games.

3 and 4

Los Angeles Soccer 1984 in Annapolis and Boston

4,300 and 4,200 km from the headquarters, respectively

Soccer is one of those sports that lends itself to having sub-venues far from the epicenter of the Games and the greatest example was seen in Los Angeles 1984. With the long kilometer difference between major cities in the United States, two among the stadiums used were found in Annapolis and in Boston, more than four thousand kilometers away from the Olympic Stadium.

5

Rio de Janeiro 2016 football in Manaus

2,850 km from headquarters

A new example of this was seen in Rio de Janeiro 2016, which also used other large Brazilian stadiums, built for the 2014 World Cup, to host soccer competitions. The one in Manaus was found about 3,000 kilometers from Rio.

6

Beijing Equestrian 2008 in Hong Kong

1,930 km from headquarters

Beijing concentrated most of the competition in its 2008 Games. For this reason, riding competitions were held at the Hong Kong Sports Institute and Penfold Park in Shating, the Beas River Country Club and part of the Hong Kong Golf Club, even if it meant taking them 2,000 kilometers away from the capital. of China.

7

Beijing 2008 football in Shanghai

1,315 km from headquarters

Another major city in China, Shanghai, also had its importance during the Olympic Games. It hosted part of the soccer competition, more than 1,300 kilometers away from the Olympic stadium.

8

Rio de Janeiro 2016 football in Salvador de Bahia

1,218 km from headquarters

Another of the 2014 World Cup venues used in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games was Salvador de Bahia. The stadium is more than 1,200 kilometers from the main venue of the Games, but this does not represent any obstacle.

9

Sydney 2000 Football in Adelaide

1,165 km from headquarters

Also in Australia the distances are great and football was also used to promote Olympism in other parts of the country at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Adelaide hosted part of the competition almost 1,200 kilometers from the center of those Games.

10 and 11

Atlanta 1996 football in Miami and Washington

1,075 and 1,040 km from the headquarters, respectively

Again, football moved away from Atlanta 1996, with stadiums such as Washington hosting the 1994 World Cup in the United States and the American capital hosting matches more than 1,000 kilometers away from in the capital.

12

Moscow Sailing 1980 in Tallinn

1,033 km from headquarters

Another sport that often forces you to find sub-venues is sailing. Especially since many of the cities that organize the Games are landlocked. The distances were increased in Moscow 1980, with none other than Tallinn, the current capital of Estonia, to host the competition.

13

Other distant sub-headquarters

Rio de Janeiro 2016 football in Brasilia (941 km away), Munich 1972 sailing and water skiing in Schilksee (898 km away) and Kiel (887 km away), Beijing 2008 sailing and water skiing in Qingdao (871 km away ) and football from Moscow 1980 in kyiv (868 km away)

#RoadtoParis2024

1. The athletes with the most medals and the most gold at the Summer Olympic Games
2. The sport of the Paris 2024 Games, the Olympic history and its stars
3. These are the venues for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: an event in the epicenter of France
4. The ‘other Cobi’: the mascots of the Summer Olympic Games and their values
5. The symbols of the Olympic Games, their origin and their meaning
6. The most surprising sports that have been part of the Olympic Games
7. Politics and the Olympic Games: the various boycotts of the Olympic edition
8. The stars of the Summer Olympic Games: the athletes who reigned in each edition
9. The Spanish athletes with the most medals and the most gold in the Olympic Games
10. From Paris to Tahiti: the most exotic sub-venues of the Summer Olympic Games