At the Tokyo Olympics, team sports shone: silver and bronze medals in basketball, gold medals in handball (girls and boys) and volleyball, silver medal in women's rugby ... success that the Minister of National Education and Sports attributes directly to physical and sports education (EPS) in a tweet which has earned him many criticisms on the social network. According to Jean-Michel Blanquer, the success of basketball, handball and volleyball “
illustrates the quality of the teaching of these sports at school
”. Quoting an article from the Swiss daily Le Temps titled “
In Tokyo, the triumph of French gym teachers
”, he added: “We
salute the work of the PE teachers and the good collaboration with the federations.
"
To discover
The full Olympic program
The Olympic medal table
On Twitter, many mock an off-ground tweet when sport would in fact have little means and little consideration in the school sphere. Others also see it as contempt for the work of club volunteers, who are more promoters of sport among young people because of the few hours of teaching at school. An opinion shared by some of the medalists taken as an example by Jean-Michel Blanquer. Silver medalist with the French basketball team, Vincent Poirier was the first to point the finger at the minister's words, in a widely relayed tweet: "
I still rarely played basketball at school but quiet .
"Before clarifying his thoughts, responding to some who said they had played basketball at school:"
The school does not train high level sportsmen, the clubs and federation do.
I don't see how EPS has a relationship with medals at the Olympics.
"
Vincent Gerard, goalkeeper of the French Olympic champion handball team, mentions the lack of resources given to physical education at school: “
Happy to see that EPS is considered on social networks.
Because in reality… Like the rest of the teaching, the means are not there…
”
Maxime Mermoz, former rugby player of the XV of France, supported the words of the two Olympic medalists. "
Aren't you ashamed ??
», He answers under the tweet of Jean-Michel Blanquer. Before saluting the work of club volunteers who “
give everything for our young people
”. Then he asks the minister: "
What are the means given to school sport to make the champions of tomorrow?"
"