His Olympic future is always written in the conditional. Will she see the Los Angeles 2028 Games? The question remains unanswered. But for Paris 2024, boxing is set on its fate. She will be. And could even live among the most beautiful hours of its history.
Extremely rare fact: the Olympic tournament will take boxers between Seine-Saint-Denis and the capital. A preliminary phase in Villepinte, in the Paris Nord Arena, then an end of competition at the Roland-Garros stadium, for the medal fights.
FrancsGames continues with Philippe Denis (photo above), a former baseball player and technical executive, his series of interviews with COJO Paris 2024 sports managers.
FrancsJeux: Your life before COJO Paris 2024?
Philippe Denis : My background is quite atypical because I come from baseball. I was a member of the French team, then after starting my professional career as a PE teacher, I became a technical manager at the French Baseball Federation. I climbed almost every level there, from setting up the national center at INSEP to the position of interim DTN, including the status of national coach. After the Athens Games in 2004, I joined the French Boxing Federation as responsible for the socio-professional monitoring of athletes. I then took responsibility for the France center at INSEP for 15 years, before joining the COJO Paris 2024.
Your past experience of the Olympic Games?
None. Paris 2024 will be my first Games. But I prepared boxers to go to the Games, on a daily basis, from Beijing 2008 to Rio 2016. I was also competition director of the European Olympic boxing qualifying tournament for the Tokyo 2020 Games. Younger, I went as a spectator to the Barcelona 1992 Games, then to those of Sydney 2000, to follow the baseball tournament.
A memorable memory from the Games?
I have a very strong personal memory, very human, but also very sad. It concerns Alexis Vastine, with whom I worked for ten years. At the 2008 Beijing Games, he was disqualified in the semi-final, 10 seconds from the end of the fight, a very suspicious refereeing decision. Four years later, at the London 2012 Games, he was once again robbed in the quarter-finals. In 2015, we were trying to prepare him to try his luck again, at the Rio Games, when he lost his life in a helicopter accident.
The file at the top of the pile on your desk?
The transition between the two boxing sites. A rare thing for this sport, the tournament will begin in Villepinte, in Seine-Saint-Denis, and end at Roland-Garros. The transition will only last around forty hours. We will have to ensure that there is as little difference as possible between the two sites. We will have to be very precise, take care of all the details. But this particular configuration will offer boxers the opportunity to express themselves in a legendary place of sport, the Philippe-Chatrier court at Roland-Garros.
Boxing venues: their assets, the challenges in the run-up to the Games?
The Arena Paris Nord in Villepinte, the site of the preliminary phases, appears like a vast hall, a huge empty box. We will have complete freedom to arrange the space and create the atmosphere. We are going to transform it into a 5,000-seat black hall, with spectators close to the ring and a cabaret feel. We are going to play with the lights, to offer the most beautiful possible image of boxing. With a single ring in the center of the room, the public will have perfect visibility of the action. After nine days in Villepinte, we will return to Roland-Garros for the semi-finals and finals. Boxing at Roland-Garros, everyone is looking forward to it, the boxers and the public. All sessions will be in the evening and all fights will award medals.
Paris 2024 will be a success for boxing if…
A first success would be to experience an Olympic tournament where the fights reflect the reality of the performances and the value of the boxers. A fair tournament, where the impartiality of the refereeing matches the event. Afterwards, we aim to present the best possible image of boxing, by working on the look of the ring, so that it fits perfectly with the look of the Games.
2023-11-26 18:54:56
#Boxing #RolandGarros #waiting
