Patrick Montel does not want to let go of the ramp... Dismissed from France Télévisions in 2020, in particular for having supported the athlete Clémence Calvin suspected of having deliberately avoided an anti-doping control, the journalist wants to return to the race. He recently commented on the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on social networks thanks to the creation of Radio Montel. Wearing a t-shirt with the name of his media, he brought the races to life and conducted interviews with French athletes that were then relayed on X (new name of Twitter). A return that calls for another. Except that the athletics specialist has no accreditation to comment on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
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A petition for his return
Coming as reinforcement, one of his fans, excited by the memory of the crazy energy he deployed during his comments, launched a petition called "Olympics 2024: Paris with Patrick". His text: "But then maybe.How can this athletics icon not comment on the Olympics live? Adored by athletes and viewers alike, worthy representative of our tricolour flag. Mr. Montel must once again be able to make us stand up with his enthusiasm."
The petition has already been signed by nearly 18,000 people. Many of Patrick Montel's supporters in this initiative consider that, since the departure of the journalist, the comments of France Télévisions are too flat and lacking enthusiasm, like the singer Vincent Delerm, a fan of athletics from the beginning. On the last day of the World Championships in Budapest, he posted a long text evoking his childhood memories in which he also pays tribute to the commentator (who had brought the Beijing Olympic Games to life with his father, the writer Philippe Delerm): "This post is dedicated to Patrick Montel who made us live all these years so feverishly, so emotionally. It would be nice to bring him back for the Olympics. History to vibrate as we like to vibrate. We are bored without him. »
Patrick Montel obviously reposted the petition on his social networks: "I relay this spontaneous private initiative. It's true that I dream of commentating on the Olympics next year. So if the heart also tells you ... So maybe! Questioned by our colleagues from Le Parisien, the journalist said more about his desire to participate in Paris 2024. "The idea of missing out on the Paris Olympics haunts me, I exorcize a little bit the pain to come by doing this. I still hope the door can open. I always tell others "never give up on your dreams". And so for myself too, I don't want to give up. It may be a bottle in the sea but it's comforting," explains the one who does not seem ready to give up this dream: "Even if I do not have my accreditation, I will do the Games anyway, I will go to comment in a nursing home at nap time, or in a police station, I do not know. I will go where I have the right. I can't imagine not experiencing these Games! »
However, the fact that he relays the petition on his social networks did not please many Internet users who reacted by specifying that he should "leave room for others". Faced with this influx of comments, the journalist made a video in which he specifies that he does not want to take anyone's place. "Nor of my colleagues from France Télévisions Alexandre Pasteur and Alexandre Boyon who are perfect in this exercise (...) and then no longer a young person who would like to create the Games. I created a medium, called Radio Montel, just to create this space and be able to comment myself. I just created a digital space for which today 265,000 people on Facebook follow me and for which I would like to have an accreditation to be able to comment on the Games. »