Games celebrated worldwide and a fifth place for France in the medal rankings. The resigning Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, concluded the Paris Olympics with a sense of duty accomplished. She returns for The Express on the outcome of the event, crucial for “France’s influence in the world”. Interview.
France finished in fifth place in the nations ranking, collecting 64 medals. What is your sporting assessment of the Paris Olympic Games?
Our first satisfaction is to have beaten, by far, the record of 43 medals set in Beijing. We won 33 in Tokyo in 2021. Our ambition to be in the top 5 was met with skepticism a few months ago, and here we are. We have our place in the concert of the best sporting nations, with medals won in 27 disciplines. This is the greatest versatility in the world, after that of the United States. This universalist dimension of the French sporting model was thought up by General de Gaulle, and today we are giving it all its strength. After Tokyo, we wondered about the opportunity to concentrate resources on fewer disciplines, like the English had done. But we didn’t do it, and we were right to do so.
Then there is the subject of gold, a disappointment. France won 16, far from the 29 won by Great Britain in London in 2012. How can this difference be explained?
It is true that our result in this area, which is already historic, could have been even more exceptional. Our proportion of gold medals is lower than that of other nations, such as Australia and Japan. None of the “golds” we have obtained are surprises; some of our “silver” could have been “golds” and our “bronzes” sometimes correspond to small disappointments compared to the talent of our athletes.
This challenge of converting to gold, that is to say this ability to climb to the top step of the podium more often, we will continue to work on it. It is also a cultural challenge. The French sometimes place a small premium on panache, we want to experience romantic moments in sport, but gradually we must evolve to say to ourselves: ‘no, we must win and until the end’. We have started this cultural work, hence the virtue of the stated objective of being in the Top 5, which is based on gold.
France is emerging from a fortnight of enchantment. Isn’t this fervor doomed to die out?
We will probably soon be caught up by political recovery, or face people who will come to attack the results of the Games. But those who attack us will have to be well armed, because we are sharpened to respond, given the work done, even if everything can obviously always be improved. This memorable joy and these most spectacular images of all time will remain in our memories. These Games are the demonstration that intense teamwork, in the republican arc and with the forces of civil society, allows us to achieve very high objectives. Like, for example, the swimmability of the Seine. France must become aware of its capacity to do great things. This must make us want to repeat this type of adventure and put sport at the heart of the life of the nation.
Should we expect an effect on the sporting practice of the French?
It will be significant. We have prepared reception plans, in conjunction with the federations, to be ready to absorb the flow of new licensees. We already have 3.5 million additional regular players since 2017, and I think we will have around 3 million more thanks to the momentum of the Games. Investments have been made to have the equipment ready. And to help the clubs in terms of human resources.
Transport, security… The organization had caused a lot of concern In the last few months, there have been no bad surprises. What made it possible to meet the deadline?
A host of factors made this bet a success. The quality of governance between the State, the Ile-de-France region, the RATP, the SNCF, Aéroports de Paris, the Grand Paris metropolis, the City of Paris, the prefects, the Paris police prefecture, with perfect coordination and unprecedented planning quality. But also the quality of social dialogue, to secure the presence of all the vital forces, the metro, train and tram drivers, all the staff in the stations, around the stations and near the sites to facilitate the flow of spectators.
I would also add the creation of digital tools such as the Anticiperlesjeux.fr platform and new infrastructures such as the extension of line 14 to the north towards Saint-Denis and to the south towards Orly.
On the financial level, can we already draw up a balance sheet?
These Games have been remarkably well-held in terms of budget. The overrun will be limited to 15% for the budget of the organising committee and 2% excluding inflation for that of Solideo, the structure that managed the construction of the Olympic and Paralympic facilities. These will not be the least expensive Olympic Games in history, we are in the average, but we are very far from the most expensive. We are also among those that have deviated the least from the initial objective. Remember, London had tripled the budget announced before the events were held, starting from 3.7 billion pounds and ending up between 11 and 12 billion.
Note also that the budget of the organizing committee, of 4.4 billion euros, is financed 96% by funds of private origin. Which shows what we are capable of doing without recourse to public money. For the construction budget, of approximately 4.4 billion also, the public/private split is practically 50/50. But in front of all the public financing, we have sustainable works: 4000 housing units in Seine-Saint-Denis, of which 40% are social housing, numerous sports facilities, including 18 swimming pools developed or renovated in Seine-Saint-Denis.
What economic benefits do you expect for France in the short and medium term?
Before the Games, before all this fervour, the Centre for Sports Law and Economics had produced an independent study. Its central scenario predicted spin-offs in the months following the event of 9 billion euros for the Île-de-France region alone. On the scale of the whole of France, with the drivers of sporting success and the confidence that it gives us, we should go beyond the 0.3 points of additional growth that INSEE had predicted for the third quarter, thanks to this “GDP of happiness” effect.
Paris 2024, were they the Olympic Games for all of France?
These are the most decentralized Games in history: 73 host communities, 166 fan zones throughout France, and as far as Polynesia. More than 500,000 people will have been invited by the State and the communities to attend the events for free. This illustrates the dimension of popular embarkation, which will continue with the Paralympic Games, since the State invites nearly 200,000 schoolchildren in addition to students and disadvantaged young people.
The Games in the heart of Paris and the opening ceremony have strengthened France’s visibility in the world. What is the outcome of these games in terms of soft power French ?
The opening ceremony expressed panache and creative genius. It allowed us to show how talented our country is. It also highlighted how capable it is of carrying a form of audacity in an authentic desire for inclusion. It was off the beaten track. The ceremony combined protocol, artistry and the parade of athletes in an unprecedented way.
This reshuffles the cards of this type of exercise and it is important for France’s influence in the world. We have created an environment that has made it possible to be at the rendezvous of concord between nations, by welcoming Russians or Belarusians under the status of neutral athlete or by having Israelis or Palestinians participate in the same competition. We have kept the Coubertinian promise, which makes sport a space for bringing peoples together around universal values.
There olympic basin Will she stay in Paris?
The President of the Republic is attentive to the legacy of the Games and their memorial trace. This applies to the infrastructures created and the sports facilities. The Nanterre pools, the scene of Léon Marchand’s exploits, will benefit the children of Bagnolet and Sevran. This also applies to the rings of the Eiffel Tower, the cauldron or the statues dedicated to the women of the opening ceremony. We are looking at the material feasibility of anchoring all these elements. Regarding the cauldron located in the Tuileries Gardens, we must preserve an architectural alignment along the Champs-Élysées, up to the Louvre pyramid, a solution will have to be found. But the political will is there, at the highest level of the State, to keep these symbols alive.
Between the dissolution of the Assembly and your tumultuous time at the Ministry of National Education, you could have not represented the government at these Games. Do you feel like you’ve been a miracle?
I don’t see it that way at all. Considering the trials I’ve been through, I don’t feel like I’ve been lucky. Quite the opposite. But I have a lot of resilience, and I ‘tore myself away’ from serving my country until the last moment. Within our government team, I played the role of number 10, I distributed the ball, scored when it was my turn, particularly in the sporting aspect. Despite the attacks I’ve been subjected to, I have kept this team spirit that I hold so dear, and I am very proud of it.
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