Ophélie Artaud
modified to
10:13 a.m., September 9, 2023
Pollution of the Seine, security, transport… 321 days before the Paris Olympic Games, where are we in the organization of this global event? For the moment, many questions remain unanswered and enthusiasm is still struggling to emerge among the French. Among the biggest difficulties, the organization of the opening ceremony or the decontamination of the Seine, which is to host the swimming events, while several test events have been canceled in recent months. But for the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, invited this Saturday from Europe 1, there is no doubt, “we will be ready”.
“There are still projects that are specific to the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” recognizes the Minister of Sports. “The opening ceremony, as we know, is a challenge in itself, so we approach it with great seriousness both artistically and in terms of anticipation. The swimmability of the Seine is a major issue. At the beginning of the summer we had a difficult time with the swimming events, because the test event had to be canceled due to rainwater, but we knew that was the vulnerable point. All the infrastructures will be completely built and run-in for the Games so there is no fear about this rainwater,” she says. “As for what happened during the triathlon and the paratriathlon, it is more of an operational defect that will be corrected. We are doing all the feedback at the moment to avoid this kind of turpitude.”
Will French athletes be ready?
But beyond the logistical and organizational aspect, there also comes the question of French athletes. The Blues were eliminated from the Basketball World Cup in the first round and France did not shine at the last World Athletics Championships in Budapest, winning only one silver medal in the men’s 4×400 meter relay. So, will French athletes be ready?
Amélie Oudéa-Castéra assures that “we reacted quickly following Budapest which was indeed a difficult moment. We debriefed, we immediately put things into perspective with a detailed, phased action plan, supported by the director of high performance Romain Barras, in conjunction with the National Sports Agency. The Federation’s teams have this feeling of teamwork, of coming together to bounce back.”
For the Minister of Sports, it is not too late to act. “We still have fantastic fundamentals, great champions, including in athletics. I am thinking in particular of Kevin Mayer who was injured in Budapest but who will, I am sure, be there for Paris. We have the ability in 10 or 11 months to maximize, to optimize performance because there are things that can be unlocked, conversations that can be held, inspirations that are taken, psychological triggers, physical adjustments.. “It is this entire assembly of conditions for success which can be further optimized”, concludes the Minister of Sports at the microphone of Europe 1.