The French Judo Federation woke up on Monday morning rather ringing.
Few employees had predicted the defeat of Jean-Luc Rougé who, at the start of the afternoon, had to hand over the keys of an institution he had headed (as CEO and then president) for nearly 40 years.
Stéphane Nomis succeeded in judo what Florian Grill, another fifty-year-old entrepreneur, almost achieved at the beginning of October against Bernard Laporte, finally re-elected with 51% of the votes: to seize an almost impregnable fortress by breaking the codes , by crisscrossing the territories.
And necessarily that gives hope to others.
Stéphane Nomis had been one of the signatories of the "citizens' appeal" launched by Yohan Pinel, one of the three candidates for the presidency of the badminton federation.
“And Stéphane is the first to win, rejoices the candidate.
This collective allows us to discuss our experiences, our difficulties too.
We have a common desire to change the lines and we find ourselves on many themes such as the question of the benefits of sport, the place of sport in the current context, its social utility.
It's not enough to say that sport is good for your health, you have to propose things.
"
If the collective is open to everyone, there are mainly young executives (Yohan Pinel, 34 years old; Thomas Naglieri, 35 years old, presidential candidate in archery; Anne de Sainte-Marie, 36 years old, who aims the riding federation), most of whom have never held federal office.
Their method based on dialogue with the grassroots, their different discourse (it is a question of ecology, social bond, social and solidarity economy or reform of governance) make the more traditional leaders jump.
Tensions everywhere
Jean-Luc Rougé might not be the only one to be pushed towards the exit.
One of his relatives, Alain Bertholom, is in difficulty at the head of the French wrestling federation, his opponent, Lionel Lacaze, supported by presidents of powerful Leagues, reproaching him in particular for having plunged the federation into the red after the failed organization of the Worlds in 2017 (1.1 million euros deficit).
Tensions are rising everywhere, on social networks the exchanges are electric.
Some cling to their chairs.
Others, like Noël Le Graët, 71, in football Serge Lecomte, 70, in horse riding maintain suspense as to what will happen next (the date of the elections has not yet been set for riding).
In any case, the withdrawal of a president is not necessarily synonymous with a serene handover.
In handball, where the Delplanque page will turn, the family that we thought was united around the past and recent successes of the French teams is torn apart.
Saturday, it will take a winner to choose between Jean-Pierre Feuillan one of the historical leaders, Olivier Giraud, emblematic captain of Experts and Philippe Bana, who after 20 years in the technical direction, hopes to accede to the presidency.
“Something is happening in French sport, especially in terms of democratic debate,” said Yohan Pinel.
But that doesn't mean it will radically change things.
“At the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF), we nevertheless scrutinize with interest what is happening in the federations.
Beaten on Rougé's list, Thierry Rey, who was considering running for the presidency, will have to find a new entry point (he cannot be the representative of judo).
Alliances will be turned upside down, with the departure of emblematic figures like Isabelle Lamour, beaten in fencing, and Jean-Luc Rougé.
Until then ...