This Thursday, June 13, the CNOSF and the CPSF announced during a press conference the list of 14 candidates to be flag bearers for the 2024 Olympic Games, as well as the four candidates for the Paralympic Games.
The French Olympic and Paralympic team announced this Thursday, June 13, the candidates to carry the French flag during the opening ceremonies on July 26 and August 28. The French National Olympic and Sports Committee represented by David Lappartient and the French Paralympic and Sports Committee represented by Marie-Amélie Le Fur presented the list of athletes presented by the federations during a press conference. As a reminder, the two pairs of flag bearers will be presented on July 12.
Fourteen candidates were presented to lead the French delegation. If we find many names widely heard in recent weeks, like Florent Manaudou, Renaud Lavillenie or Mélina Robert-Michon, no Nicolas Batum or Kevin Mayer on the other hand. But the choice of the French cycling federation not to propose a candidate is a surprise, leaving aside Pauline Ferrand-Prévot who is participating in his fourth Olympic Games. There will also be no candidates for handball and basketball, the schedule making it uncertain whether athletes will be present for the opening ceremony with a match the day before or the day after the ceremony.
Due to the criteria revealed several weeks ago by the Olympic committee, several athletes had already been excluded from the list of candidates. It was necessary to have never been a flag bearer, to have already participated in the Olympic or Paralympic Games, and to meet exemplary criteria by respecting the Olympic and Paralympic charters. So, Anthony DupontVictor Wembanyama (first Olympics), Nikola Karabatic (convicted in court) and the judokas Teddy Riner and Clarisse Agbegnenouwho have already been standard bearers, could not be candidates.
The two pairs of flag bearers for the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be designated by the athletes qualified for the Games via an electronic vote which will take place on July 9 and 10. There can only be one athlete per federation. Also, if two swimmers come at the top of the votes, for example, it is the one with the most votes who will be selected.
Four athletes were selected to be flag bearers for the Paralympic Games. The nomination process is the same as for the Olympic Games, with a vote of those qualified. A little earlier in the day, Arnaud Assoumani, qualified in long jump, announced that he was refusing to be a candidate due to the criteria awarding, according to him, too few candidates. The French Disability Sports Federation has in fact chosen to present only one candidate, just like the French Adapted Sports Federation. However, these two federations do not bring together the same number of disciplines: 3 for the FFSA and 11 for the FFH. During the press conference, Marie-Amélie Le Fur indicated that the CPSF had proposed to the FFH to present up to six applications, “in view of the number of sports it brings together” but that the latter had refused.
The full list of candidates to be flag bearer at the Olympic Games
- Jean-Baptiste Bernaz (sailing)
- Charlotte Bonnet (swimming)
- Romane Dicko (judo)
- Laëtitia Guapo (basketball)
- Renaud Lavillenie (Athletics)
- Camille Lecointre (sailing)
- Enzo Lefort (fencing)
- Florent Manaudou (swimming)
- Estelle Mossely (boxing)
- Earvin Ngapeth (volleyball)
- Sofiane Oumiha (boxing)
- Pauline Ranvier (fencing)
- Wendie Fox (football)
- Mélina Robert-Michon (athletics)
The full list of candidates to be flag bearer at the Paralympic Games
- Nélia Barbosa (para canoe)
- Alexis Hanquinquant (para triathlon)
- Nantenin Keita (para athletics)
- David Smetanine (para swimming)