Basketball in Hall 6 of the Parc des expositions, in Paris, during the 2024 Olympics?
That wasn't the plan initially.
The big orange ball was to take up residence at Arena 2 at Porte de la Chapelle and at the Accor Arena at Bercy.
Following several modifications, the group phase of the men's and women's basketball tournaments must finally take place at Porte de Versailles, before returning to Bercy for the final phase.
A decision that has not only made people happy, Evan Fournier having notably spoken on several occasions.
He is not the only one.
And his Blue comrade, Rudy Gobert, spoke in turn.
After the victory of Jazz on the floor of Knicks (93-108), Sunday, at Madison Square Garden in New York, the Picard giant was indeed questioned on the subject at a press conference.
"
We talked about it with Nico (Batum), Boris (Diaw), I wanted to have more information before reacting
," he first said.
And to continue:
We are aware that there are many other sports.
No sport is not important.
But it's true that when you have the most watched team sport at the Olympics (basketball, editor's note) and players from all over the world who come, the best in the world, and when you also have a French team who come to win silver at the Olympic Games and that there is an audience, because I don't see how it wouldn't be full every night if we played at the Accor Arena, it's a shame… (…) For me , this is a missed opportunity.
I hope they will make the right decisions and ensure that there is some respect for our sport.
I'm not going to play in a room where I hit my head when I shoot (smile).
It does not make sense.
»
“It's a little lack of respect for our sport. »
Rudy Gobert
Note that the famous Hall 6 of the Exhibition Center has a ceiling height of nine meters, which is regulatory for the practice of basketball but not really common.
For example, it would be impossible to install the usual device for displaying scores and statistics above the parquet, not to mention the air conditioning system of the room in question, which would risk making the parquet slippery and therefore dangerous.
Obviously, this is hardly a problem for the holding of events like the Salon de l'agriculture, a few days ago.
“
I love agriculture, but to play basketball…
”, quips the pivot of the Salt Lake City club.
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“
We hope.
There are ongoing conversations,
” adds Gobert, 29.
"
But it's a little lack of respect for our sport and what our team has been doing in recent years, but also for our fans, we have a lot of basketball fans in France.
The Olympics at home is once in a lifetime, in a career.
So it's a shame not to maximize this experience
“Concludes the tricolor international with 74 selections and four medals in the France team, bronze at the 2014 and 2019 World Cups as well as at Euro 2015, before silver in Tokyo, last summer.
In Paris, Vincent Collet's men will try to do at least as well and offer France a fourth Olympic medal for men, the first dating from 1948 and 2000, already in silver.