Sport24.com/Le Figaro: What inspires you in the definitive end of the LFB season, which took place on Friday?
Diandra Tchatchouang : We expected that. We would have been surprised by a reverse decision in fact! I find it a good decision since it is difficult to plan for today. We cannot say that we could resume in May or June. And meanwhile, time flies. Time without being able to set foot in a basketball hall. Even if we train every day, that we keep in shape, it does not replace the physical condition that a daily basketball training will give, we are not in rhythm of match. I thought it almost became a danger of taking over for the bodies. And mentally, I'm not sure we still have our heads in the season ...
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However, the LNB still hopes to resume in the gentlemen ...
Maybe the financial stakes are a little higher than ours, to say it with irony (smile). There are big sums at stake. I think that's what makes the suspense last. Afterwards, everyone loses money, not just in sports. Big companies, big events that are canceled ... These are things we are not used to, but the crisis is so severe that it brings us back to reality. And everyone's health is more important than money.
"It will take time to recover from the crisis"
What concerns for the Lattes-Montpellier club on the financial level precisely?
There is the club, but you also need to have a global vision of our sport. This is the case in all areas. Today, women's basketball, and women's sport as a whole, will be affected. It will take time to get up. We will have to do things intelligently. There are certain things that will no longer be possible for a while. So beyond the club, it is our League that will take a hit. And who has already taken a hit.
Our Captain, @DiandraTchatch, continues the adventure at BLMA. She reengaged for two years
➡️ More info: https://t.co/y2zsruq2bQ#BLMA#GoGazelles ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/U2bB0q6uLV
In the meantime, you have extended your contract for the next two seasons with Lattes-Montpellier ...
The club has offered to renew my contract since November-December. I had left myself until January to reflect. But I feel good here and signed soon after. It's been a long time since the decision was made, even if it is only announced now. It is a combination of things. Lattes-Montpellier is one of the strongholds of women's basketball in France. The targets are still very high. We play at the best European level (Euroleague this season and the next, note) and we were in the Eurocoupe final last year. This is what I needed. In addition, I am lucky to feel good outside of basketball in everyday life here. Everything was united.
"We say to ourselves that at the moment there is certainly more important than sport"
Even if you consider it a good decision, doesn't the end of the season leave a touch of bitterness?
There is frustration because we were where we wanted to be in this season. We were in a hurry, like everyone else, to start the play-offs. And we also had the opportunity to find our entire team after injuries. This team had been largely renewed after last season and we wanted to see what we were worth ... The objective was to win. Of course there is frustration, but it's the same for everyone, there is nothing we can do. Regarding the Euroleague, the quarter-finals were not won in advance ... Reaching this level, with this pool and perhaps 70% of the workforce discovering the competition, is a satisfaction. In addition, we were getting ready to meet the outgoing European champions from Ekaterinburg. Always an experience that we want to live ... Frustration therefore, but we relativize very quickly when we take into account the current situation beyond the world of sport. We tell ourselves that at the moment, there is certainly more important.
» READ ALSO - Euro 2021 postponed to 2022 for men, not for women
What do you think about the postponement of the 2020 Olympics in 2021 and the maintenance of the Euro in 2021?
Regarding the Olympics, as an athlete, it's boring (smile). But we all hoped. It was getting too complicated. The Games are the biggest competition for me. In some sports, it's the competition of a lifetime! To prepare in such conditions for this meeting, I found that it did not make sense. So, it was important to make this decision, and soon enough. It's a year away, it's not that far away. It also allows life to resume its course. And we are still far from it ... I am therefore rather satisfied with this report. For the Euro on the other hand, which is maintained, I did not understand the concept too much. Each year, we realize that certain teams actually play six or seven players. Fiba knows it. I don't really understand how we can take this risk, with the chain of two competitions as important as the Euro and the Games. That means that we already know that certain teams risk sacrificing the European Championship. I don't understand ... We will have to adapt. This is the challenge of a top athlete, knowing how to adapt. And we are all in the same situation.
"The maintenance of the Euro in 2021? Incomprehensible"
The Euro being co-organized by France, we imagine that the Blue will not be deadlocked…
I do not know how it will happen, it is difficult to project. But it is sure that we will play hard and that we will want to do well in front of our audience. In any case, this decision is a little incomprehensible, it will be a big chain between the end of the championships, the preparation for the Euro, the Euro, the preparation for the Olympic Games and the Olympic Games. It is all the more incomprehensible that the Euro gentlemen, planned in 2021, is postponed in 2022! It is not consistent. We are in an exceptional situation, it is a fact. But you have to be serious.
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