The information had been awaited for several weeks.
It is now official.
This Friday morning, on the occasion of their back-to-school conference Jean-Michel Blanquer, Minister of National Education and Youth, and Roxana Maracineanu, the Minister in charge of Sports, announced the name of the new director of the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (Insep), more commonly referred to as the school of French sports champions which is located in the Bois de Vincennes in Paris (12th century).
And, as the latest rumors suggested, the lucky winner is called Fabien Canu.
Former adviser to David Douillet
At 61, the former double world champion in judo (in 1987 and 1989) succeeds Ghani Yalouz appointed in March 2017 and who was auditioned in January.
But his future at the head of Insep was already decided.
Roxana Maracineanu, who had extended him until the Tokyo Games - postponed from 2020 to 2021, due to the health crisis - had informed him of his decision not to see him continue his mission.
His term of office will thus end on September 15.
Current inspector general of youth and sports, Fabien Canu was, after his career on the tatami mats, special advisor to the cabinet of David Douillet, former Olympic judo champion, when the latter was Minister of Sports (September 2011-May 2012) . In the race for the leadership of Insep, the triple European champion (from 1987 to 1989) was preferred at the last moment to Hakim Khellaf, magistrate of the Court of Auditors and former sports advisor to Jean-Marc Ayrault and Manuels Valls.