Stéphane Madelenat is an angry boss of private gyms.
At the head of the Apollo Sporting Club (six Ile-de-France sites including four in intramural Paris), which offers boxing and physical preparation for all audiences, the 39-year-old business manager denounces a decision that is “arbitrary and confiscatory ”the day after the announcement by Olivier Véran, Minister of Solidarity and Health.
Among the new restrictions unveiled Wednesday, September 23 as part of the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic, the latter announced the closure of sports halls and gymnasiums in areas of enhanced and maximum alert.
The boss of Apollo Sporting Club is outraged, while saying he is aware of the situation of the health crisis.
He explains it.
Why are you angry ?
STÉPHANE MADELENAT.
Beyond the fact that the start of the school year is a strategic period for all sports clubs, we have taken a lot of measures concerning reception, hygiene, wearing a mask before and after practice, the customer journey ... Since the August 1st, we welcomed more than 9000 people in our different rooms, we had no case that was declared to us.
Obviously, I am not an idiot, I know very well that that does not mean that it cannot exist.
But why this activity, which allows people to let off steam, to think of other things in difficult times, rather than another?
Let us prove by figures that it is problematic for society and I will comply with this decision which I consider arbitrary and confiscatory.
Me, I do not depend on any subsidy, I have rents, people to pay.
We have no economic visibility.
Like the last time when President Macron told us that we could reopen, we were told belatedly that we had to close on Saturday.
This way of doing things is not tenable.
But this measure is a matter of public health given the intensification of the circulation of the virus ...
Yes, there is an upsurge, I am not saying that the disease does not exist.
I am a business leader, but also a citizen.
I am a reasonable person, but we must be able to continue working unless we are shown that our activity is particularly harmful.
I am someone who seeks to understand, to anticipate for his economic activity, to know why.
Explain to me how a rugby scrum is different from a judo or boxing class.
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The risk of creating clusters exists in gyms, where a lot of people hang out without a mask during practice, right?
Yes, the risk exists, but it exists when someone takes off their mask to light a cigarette, in the street, in transport, they are everywhere.
We offer courses for a maximum of ten people, who reserve their session before coming, but they bring me proof.
If we only live in fear, let's shut it down and re-define everything in this case.
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Does this fortnightly closure endanger your company?
For us, it's without engagement, per session, so a closure coincides with zero turnover.
I am calling the bank, looking for solutions, but what will cause our activity to start up again after two weeks?
But once again, prove to me that there are a lot of infected people in our sport and in this case, I will side with a decision that will be beneficial for society.
It's not enough to just be the pissed off boss, who is fed up with losing money all over again… I understand that you have to reassure people and motivate unreasonable people to be careful, but I'll give you a example.
There is a boxing gala held on Friday with Tony Yoka.
I have one of my boxer coaches who is at this party.
We were asked to do a 72 hour PCR test which I did.
I am negative, I got the result today (Thursday)… But I may have caught the virus yesterday afternoon (Wednesday).
We do not measure the benefit of sport.
Being in good health is in itself a barrier measure.