The count has started: the Paris Games will take place in 1000 days. The excitement around such a planetary event has continued to rise since the end of the Tokyo Games. Kylian MBappé’s declaration of love for the Games at the launch of the Sport en Seine festival on Thursday, October 28, at the Maison de la radio, also accelerates the process.
For us, immediately after our silver medal this summer, the questions around the Paris 2024 Games quickly arose: “Are you already thinking about it? Can you do better? How do you see yourself in 3 years? “
These questions made us smile. We were in our clouds, we had just come down from the Olympic track with a medal around our neck. Arrived at my room in the athletes’ village, when I put my medal on the bedside table, after having looked at it carefully, I said to myself: “What if in Paris, it was even better?”. The seed of this new Olympic adventure had already germinated but I nevertheless tried to calm my brain because we had just finished a chapter, a beautiful story and we deserved to enjoy it, with a light mind.
Back in Paris, on the Place du Trocadéro, the magic of finding the French public was crazy. The goodies around Paris 2024 monopolized every corner. People only talked to us about that. We had never felt such fervor, we felt like a rock star whose next tour we are waiting for. VShis excitement even brought out some retired athletes who thought they would stop after Tokyo, but who, after a walkabout, said to themselves, “Come on 3 years I can take”.
With one year less preparation for this Olympiad, time is running out for athletes and institutions alike.
Thomas Bach, President of the IOC, on his return from the Tokyo Games, was a little worried about the results of French athletes. But he remains confident in the mobilization of these athletes at home, to do better. Above all, with each of his interventions, he assures his great confidence in the Parisian organizing committee.
On the French side, change is to be noted at the political level. INSEP changes director. Fabien Canu, former judo champion and responsible for Olympic and Paralympic preparation, replaced Ghani Yalouz. The ANS (national sports agency) is also active with the creation of a perf 2024 unit within each federation. The long-term objective for the ANS is to integrate France into the world top 5.
Also, the Minister of Sports, Roxanna Mariceneanu, meets a lot of sportsmen. During a round table with a dozen athletes, we were able to discuss with the Minister and her team, and propose our ideas to be able to perform better in Paris in 2024. It was also an opportunity, for us athletes, to realize the very different issues depending on your federation.
Paris 2024 in everyone’s head, it’s obvious, and this new common name may even soon be in our wardrobe. Since Thursday, October 28, the official Paris 2024 store is online.
