Mathieu Hanotin, mayor of Saint-Denis (Seine-Sgaint-Denis), one of the territories where the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place, and Arnaud Robinet, mayor of Reims (Marne), city which hosts the British Olympic delegation, underline how physical and sporting practice in urban areas constitutes a crucial issue.
What does sport bring to urban life? What can change in the city?
Arnaud Robinet Sport creates social bonds. It contributes to the physical development and fulfillment of our children. It instills in them values, the rules of collective good, a sense of mutual aid, a taste for effort and perseverance. For adults who lead fast-paced lives, sport is also a breath of fresh air, a fundamental vector of good health. It encourages meetings and diversity. When we are training or racing, we are all equal in the face of the challenge on the starting line.
Mathieu Hanotin I agree. Sport is not only good for your health, but it is, in fact, a fantastic vector of social bonding. Its development must also be up to the health challenge of a sedentary lifestyle, this new disease which is wreaking havoc and multiplying illnesses. Physical and sporting activity in urban areas is, therefore, an absolutely crucial issue. The city needs places, places of sharing and meeting, where residents can practice sporting activities.
Can the Olympic Games be an accelerator to promote social cohesion?
MH The Olympics are not a deus ex machina that would solve all the problems. We cannot make the population believe that everything will be fine after them. Problems will persist that need to be addressed, that require time and reinventing oneself. It is our responsibility to allow the Olympic Games to leave a real legacy, both in terms of the acceleration of physical and sporting practice and in the transformation of our territory. For Saint-Denis, Plaine Commune, the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, the challenge is that there is a before and an after, that the Olympic Games allow a lasting change in the image of the territory and encourage it to take a new start. To do this, we must take actions to enable the population to reap the benefits. Building a balanced and harmonious city in Saint-Denis is what I have been working on for three years. The Olympics must be an accelerator of this transformation.
AR Because it erases inequalities and differences, sport is in itself a catalyst for social cohesion. To do this, we must, of course, bring all socio-professional categories towards this passion for sport. But behind it there must be a legacy. How, once the Olympics are over, can we get the population, particularly our youth, involved in regular sporting activity? To do this, I signed an agreement with the British Olympic delegation, which we are hosting, so that its athletes reach out to young people. The idea is that they are not there just to train, but that they lead sessions open to schools. This allows young people to train with them, but also to discuss the preparation of a high-level athlete for a competition.
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