Find the Pierre-Mauroy Stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq (which hosted the eighth and quarter-finals of the French men’s team at the 2017 World Handball Championship), the Blues would not be fiercely opposed to it. Far from it. “Obviously, that would bring back good memories to some, even if this choice would be above all economical, if I understood correctly. Playing in front of 30,000 people as we had the opportunity to do in 2017, it’s beautiful, it’s strong !”, remembers the Nîmois Michael guigou, promoted captain of the Olympic vice-champions but who will, in all likelihood, put an end to his playing career by then.
“It is true that we have had crazy experiences in this stadium. Playing in front of so many people, that does not happen often to us, to us handball players. In terms of atmosphere, we can not do better”, adds the Montpelliérain Valentine Door (30 years old to date) who could be part of the Olympic adventure in 2024. Before adding: “But if it is to meet in Lille only between handball players, it is not really the image I have of the Olympics …”
“To be at least in the Olympic village”
In other words: OK to play in Lille but without leaving Paris completely. “The Olympic village is sacred. If everything happens in Paris and we are not there at all, it will get stuck. It would be like a world championship, but not like the Olympics …”, warns the Montpellier captain. Michaël Guigou agrees, even if he will undoubtedly be in the stands in 2024. “I would be really disappointed if the handball players were not in the Olympic village. This is what is most beautiful in the Olympics: this atmosphere, this atmosphere that reigns between athletes of different disciplines.
So even if there is a good atmosphere in the stadium, it would be really hard for them to find themselves away from it all “, explains the iconic left winger, twice titled at the Games (2008, 2012) , before continuing: “Athletes who are not in the village, for me, they are a little outside the competition. I had the opportunity to realize this in previous editions, especially with the football teams that the we only saw arriving in the village for the last square … at a time when there were already many people. It’s not the same thing. Afterwards, nothing seems definitive to me: Lille-Paris done quite quickly and easily so there may still be the possibility for our teams to be accommodated in the village. But hey, there will be matches every two days so in terms of logistics, it is not Not that easy.”
For his part, Valentin Porte regrets that the trend of the latest arbitrations concerning the allocation of sites in intramural Paris is more in favor of sports other than his own. “It would be a shame if volleyball was chosen and not us, after all the titles that the hand has won … Nothing has been finalized yet. Let’s hope that a solution is found so that handball takes place in Paris”, adds Michaël Guigou. To console themselves if the trend is confirmed, handball players can always tell themselves that they will not be the only “exiles” of these Parisian Olympics. Surfers will also be on the island. But in Tahiti.
