This is an anomaly that the representative bodies of French taekwondo would happily do without. Nearly a hundred days before the Paris Games, its federation, the FFTDA, is the only one of the 32 sports federations embarked on the Olympic adventure to navigate without a president or steering committee. This governance crisis follows the invalidation by the courts, almost a year ago, of the 2020 electoral process, which saw Hassane Sadok arrive at the head of this institution with 867 clubs and whose budget is amounts to 3.7 million euros for 2024.
A situation which does not, however, dissuade this university professor – president of the Université du littoral Côte d’Opale – from appearing on as the boss of the FFTDA, even though the management was taken away from him. Since May 3, 2023, the date of the judgment of the Lyon judicial court – seized by around forty applicants including a large number of clubs – it has been in the hands of a judicial administrator.
The latter, Me Robert-Louis Meynet is responsible for managing current affairs and organizing a new election. The first phase of the elections – that of delegates – took place in November 2023. But its result is also contested by the applicants. Despite this new procedure, the administrator chose to continue the process. In an email sent to clubs on Thursday April 11, the FFTDA sets the date of the presidential elections on June 14, 15 and 16.
“There will be a president at the head of the federation before the Games”welcomes the entourage of the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, concerned however that “the situation does not contaminate performance and the chances of medals, and that it is subject to special monitoring by the ministry”.
General inspection in progress
In terms of “performance and chances of medals”, the technical management of the Blues is already doing its best to protect the athletes from these internal upheavals. Especially since with two world champions, Magda Wiet-Hénin (− 67 kg) and Althéa Laurin (− 73 kg), and a triple European champion, Cyrian Ravet (− 58 kg), in its ranks, the The French team hopes to shine in Paris.
“This governance problem is not simple, that’s for sure”, admits the national technical director (DTN) Patrick Rosso. “ But we make sure that the athletes stay in a bubble. It’s up to me to manage the administrative surplus caused by the situation”continues the former judo champion, who worked as a karate DTN before joining the FFTDA in 2015.
You have 66.4% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.