The last straight line to Tokyo.
Soon the end of a long wait for the many and many athletes who had to chomp on one more year to experience the 2020 Olympic Games due to the health context.
This Wednesday, 100 days before the opening ceremony, the CNOSF organized a major press conference to announce several major changes.
Starting with this concept of a united French team, without distinction between Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
"It was a desire of the athletes to have this united France team", analyzes Marie-Amélie Le Fur, president of the Paralympic committee.
“It is also a reflection of a reality that is emerging in the training pairs, but also in the sharing that already took place between the athletes.
The idea is really to tie all these different life paths together.
Through this unified team, we want to demonstrate - through this magnificent tool that is sport - the importance and strength of inclusion. ”
12 candidates to be flag bearers
Another eagerly awaited subject is the question of the future flag bearer.
Or rather flag-bearers since, as expected since the International Olympic Committee offered the possibility to the various delegations, France will have two pairs of men and women during the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies.
"We no longer have to ask ourselves whether a man or a woman will carry the flag," said Denis Masseglia.
We enthusiastically signed up for this proposal. ”
Twelve athletes have applied for the ceremony on July 23.
Among the women, boxer Maïva Hamadouche, windsurfer Charline Picon, judokate Clarisse Agbegnenou, basketball player Sandrine Gruda, tenniswoman Kristina Mladenovic and surfer Johanne Defay will compete by interposed votes.
For the men, five candidates: pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie, gymnast Samir Ait Saïd, swimmer Florent Manaudou, rider Astier Nicolas and rower Maxime Beaumont.
A French delegation between 350 and 400 members
A tandem which should pave the way for a French delegation which should have between 350 and 400 members, knowing that many disciplines have not yet delivered their verdict on the future qualified.
On July 5, the final figure will be known, with the hope that France will be represented in more sports than five years ago in Rio.
With what objective in terms of the number of medals?
"It is a very delicate question", confides Michel Vion, the French head of mission.
“The context makes it difficult to have certainties or to be able to make projections.
If we base ourselves on the 41 medals in Beijing (2008) and the 42 in Rio (2016), we aim to obtain around 40 podiums. ”
Rewarded medal bonuses
Jean-Michel Blanquer, Minister of Education and Sports, announced on Wednesday the revaluation of bonuses for future medalists of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, during a videoconference 100 days before their opening.
Speaking from “his lair in rue Grenelle”, because he is a Covid contact case, Jean-Michel Blanquer briefly announced a revaluation of premiums: it will now be 65,000 euros for gold (instead of 50,000), 25,000 for silver (instead of 20,000) and finally 15,000 for bronze (instead of 13,000).
The bonuses are the same for Paralympic athletes.
Revalued bonuses because now subject to income tax, said Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu.
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