Retraining. An eminently sensitive subject today in high level sport. Since 2014 and the establishment of the Performance Pact aimed at facilitating the professional integration of high-level athletes and preparing their post-sports career, the subject has been at the heart of the concerns of the Ministry of Sports. Officially, at least. Indeed, this Monday, information, which appeared on social networks, leaves doubtful. Relayed by several high-level athletes, the message “sacrificed physiotherapist sports students” thus brought to the fore the problem of the students of the National School of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation (ENKRE) of Saint-Maurice (Val-de -Marne) who also have the status of high level athletes.
Costs rising from 232 euros per year to ... 7,267 euros
Among these students is the badminton player Anne Tran, silver medalist in women's doubles with Emilie Lefel at the 2018 European Championships. Contacted by Le Figaro, she summed up the situation to us: “We received a letter at the beginning of July. who taught us that from now on, we had to pay for our training 7,000 euros (7,267 euros precisely) whereas until then top athletes were included in the school quotas. We just paid the school fees of 232 euros, like the other students, while the accommodation costs - around 2,000 euros - were paid by our respective Federations. ” The reason for such a change according to her? “The region has decided to no longer fund top athletes. The school has not changed anything, the change is at the regional level. We had a meeting with the ANS (National Sports Agency), the CNOSF (French National Olympic and Sports Committee) and the Ministry of Sports, from which only the region was absent. Suddenly, we do not really know why it decided to stop its subsidies. We find ourselves faced with this without a solution. ”
Except that for Patrick Karam, the vice-president in charge of sports with Valérie Pécresse, the president of the regional council of Ile de France, the culprit is different, and the sports students are ill-informed. “We have been working hard on this problem for two months to find a solution for these students. For us, there is no question of leaving top athletes in such difficulty. But who is responsible for this? The State and the decree of the Ministry of Health of January 17, 2020 which indicates that high level athletes must now be included in the quota of places available in the same way as any other student, whereas before, these athletes received special treatment in terms of access to training as a physiotherapist. Except that the State did not warn us of this modification of the entry system. Suddenly, we are up against the wall in a situation that previously worked very well. ”
The miracle solution? PRIC
A situation that would concern 42 students, for a total amount over the coming year of 147,000 euros. This problem, the Ile de France region had clearly identified for several weeks since on July 31, 2020, Valérie Pécresse had sent a letter to Elisabeth Borne, the Minister of Labor, as well as to Roxana Maracineanu, the Deputy Minister in charge of Sports. , in order to seek a solution. For Patrick Karam, it is simple, and is called the PRIC (regional skills investment pact). “We want to bring top athletes into the PRIC. We receive from the State 250 million euros per year in this context. We want to cover the cost of their training, but also to pay them an allowance of 1,200 euros per month so that they can live thanks to this PRIC. But we received a total refusal from the state. ” This same PRIC mentioned in the letter sent by Ms. Pécresse. "To move forward on this subject of the professional careers of high-level athletes, we would like to have your agreement on the mobilization of the PRIC in the Ile-de-France region, both to cover the educational costs and the remuneration", it could be read.
In the meantime, the problem of student physiotherapists remains unresolved as the return to school is looming fast. "For many students, it is very difficult to raise such a sum, especially in such a short time," admits Anne Tran. For now, I don't think anyone is going to pay and we will wait to see how the situation evolves. ” Patience which should however be quickly rewarded according to Patrick Karam who tells us: “The region will find a solution, which can only be temporary. It will pay for their studies for this year, but the State must agree to sit around the table and let us act with the PRIC. There is no reason why this one does not allow us to find solutions for all the high level athletes who live in dramatic conditions, who do not have the means to study. For the State, this would have no cost since it has already paid us the 250 million euros. We just need to have permission to use it in that sense. "
“The more money we give, the more the state is disengaged. This is what is unbearable. But why is it up to the region to put up with the bad manners of the state? ”
Patrick karamThe vice-president in charge of Sports in Ile de France - a region which represents 40% of Olympic medalists and 20% of Paralympic medalists - takes the opportunity to place a well-felt tackle: "We are the only ones today looking for a solution for high level athletes because the State does not wet its shirt. The more money we give, the more the state disengages. This is what is unbearable. But why is it up to the region to put up with the bad manners of the state? The truth is that the state treats high level sport badly. " On the subject, Enzo Lefort, world champion in foil in 2019, also has his opinion. Uncompromising. "At Insep, you have many athletes in a precarious situation, who have to work in addition to their studies and their training," he told Le Figaro. When I look back and remember the London or Rio Games, the English and Brazilians managed to explode their home medal record because 5 or 6 years ago they identified potentials and put in some money on them. They financed sport to democratize the practice, to improve it. In Paris, we absolutely do not take this path. We are less than four years from the Olympics at home and I have the impression that top-level sport is regressing. ”
The case of the ENKRE students would therefore be symptomatic of this French illness, which Olympic judo champion Emilie Andéol had denounced, clumsily perhaps, last December by evoking her personal situation and her difficulties in the world of work. An evil that could be increased by the health crisis and its heavy economic consequences, even if Anne Tran refused to make it a cause. For Patrick Karam in any case, the observation is clear: “The State does not want to take into consideration the particular situation of high level athletes. He just wants to save money on their backs. " Less than four years before the Olympic Games in the capital, this one has something to surprise.
Read also
- Enzo Lefort: "At 4 years of the Olympic Games in Paris, high level sport is regressing in France"
