Racism in sport: Kouider Oukbi, elected representative of Grigny, writes against a "venom that divides"

The facts soon date back two weeks. But like "one news chases another today", Kouider Oukbi does not want to stop there, and also wants to be a voice in the fight against racism. The elected official of Grigny, ex-world champion of Thai boxing, wrote a forum posted on a Facebook account after the racist tags at the end of June on photos of athletes on the gates of Insep, in the Bois de Vincennes.

On the first, the kimono of double Olympic judo champion, Teddy Riner, was crossed out with the word "monkey". On the second, representing Dimitri Bascou, the 110m hurdles bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the inscription "negro" had been affixed. In the third photo, French wheelchair tennis player Michael Jérémiasz parades at the opening ceremony of the Rio Paralympics alongside a colored volunteer. In front of the latter's face, one could also read "monkey".

"The commitment must be total"

"We were all Black-white-beur in 98, all behind Pogba, Griezmann twenty years later ... But we backed down in the fight against racism", considers the 39-year-old former boxer, born in Corbeil (Essonne). So the idea came to him to write “modestly” a forum “to raise awareness through the unifying values ​​of sport, to promote living together”. With the support of Malek Boutih, PSG ethics referent, Cyril Benzaquen, kickboxing champion, in particular.

Forum against racism: The recent racist inscriptions at Insep, on the images of our greatest athletes, ...

Kouider Oukbi denounces "intolerance still alive": "His violence is matched only by the cowardice of those people who take part in pouring out this venom which divides, which hurts and which kills, literally and figuratively. "

Before continuing: “The French sportsmen of yesterday and today, participated, thanks to each of their victory to overcome this nauseating ideology. Each of their medals honors all of our fellow citizens, regardless of their origin, their religion, their skin color ... In this fight every day and at all times, like in the ring, we do not win by pretending or cheating , the commitment must be total ... "" The interest is that there is a fundamental approach in federations, clubs, with coaches, to prevent racism from entering the minds! "