Officially, two of them volunteered. Swimmer Florent Manaudou and judokate Clarisse Agbégnénou expressed in the press their desire to be standard bearers of the French delegation at the next Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Between now and the event, all athletes applying for this honor will have to wait. The decision will not be made official by the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (Cnosf) until the beginning of next summer.
If the different countries represented at the Games have complete freedom to choose who will represent their delegation, in France, the final decision rests with the Olympic body, following a precise procedure. The 36 Olympic federations must choose two ambassadors who will vote to elect the athletes of their choice. Each ambassador must therefore establish a ranking of three women and three men with the following distribution of points: number 1 = 3 points, number 2 = 2 points, number 3 = 1 point. The elected pair will be made up of the female athlete and her male counterpart who have collected the most points.
Many arguments to take into account
If no criteria are specified to make an athlete a good standard bearer, a member of the Cnosf nevertheless recognizes that a personality endowed with“an international reputation has solid arguments”. “In my time the choice was undoubtedly simplerremembers Philippe Candeloro, figure skater and French flag bearer at the Nagano Winter Games in 1998. I was known in Japan and already had a solid track record, so it made sense. Furthermore, there are fewer athletes at the Winter Games than the Summer Games, therefore less competition. »“From now on, many criteria come into accountspecifies the former sportsman, whether it be the choice of sex, with the importance of presenting a duo, or diversity. »
If the French flag bearer is traditionally chosen from among those who won an Olympic medal in the previous edition, this is not an obligation. “In 2021 in Tokyo, gymnast Samir Aït Saïd was not the most recognized athlete, slips an emissary from the Cnosf, he had not won any Olympic medal, but his life story made him an obvious standard bearer. » A contender for an Olympic medal in Rio five years earlier, Samir Aït Saïd was seriously injured, in front of the world’s cameras, during his landing on vault. An injury that could have ended his professional career. “His rebuilding and successful return to competition has been a symbol of resilience. »
A memorable memory
The story recalls that of Kevin Rolland, chosen to be flag bearer during the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Injured in 2019 during a fall in La Plagne, causing multiple fractures, perforated lungs and three days of coma, the person concerned knows that this weighed in the balance. In addition to this personal drama, the Savoyard triple freestyle ski world champion believes that his record has “pleaded for him”. “My 17 years of career undoubtedly inspired confidence. Some athletes at the Games were barely born when I started!he laughs. This undoubtedly contributed to the choice of Cnosf. »
If he had not jostled to become standard bearer, Kevin Rolland had nevertheless expressed his interest. “The final decision was submitted to a vote by the general public”, he recalls. A process reiterated by French sports authorities for the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021. It has unforgettable memories. “It’s true that entering the stadium with the flag and feeling a whole delegation behind me gave me chills and a little teary eye. » “There is this feeling of dragging the whole delegation behind, which is quite unique », abounds Philippe Candeloro.
If playing this role at home should appeal to more than one athlete, “There will inevitably be some disappointed people, slips a member of the Cnosf. But at each edition, all the athletes in the delegation support the flag bearer, he specifies. There is no room for jealousy or ego wars, often because the person chosen is unanimous.”
