At the heart of traditional Polynesian sports

Imagine being in the center of a race, but no ordinary race; no, these guys are carrying over 50kg of fruit each: bananas, mangos, pineapples, oranges you name it.
Even more outrageous, imagine climbing up a coconut palm or watching the stone lifting competition, an event where Polynesian athletes lift giant stones weighing over 150kg up off the ground. This ultimate Polynesian cultural experience is known as the Heiva Tu’aro Maohi, the Polynesian Sports Festival. During the month of July on the island of Tahiti, this event lets the people of Polynesia go back to their roots to practice their traditional sport. Javelin throwing, canoe racing by sail and in three, six or 16 men boats, coprah contests, these are the sports in which Polynesiand excel. But besides being sporting events, many of these activities are practical in origin and are often a part of many local people’s everyday life. For example, the coprah competition comes from the harvesting of coconut meat from the dried nut. The competition involves seeing who can scoop out the soft, white meat with a special knife called a pana, the fastest.
The festival is an intensely colorful event with its athletes perfumed in sweet scented monoi oil, dressed in pareu and topped with flower crowns. The Heiva Tu’aro Maohi brings together over 300 athletes that come from all of French Polynesia’s five archipelagos. It’s a unique opportunity to admire the strength of Polynesian culture.

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