The controversy is not new but has been revived by Teddy Riner.
This Saturday, on the set of “What a time!
» on France 2, the three-time Olympic judo champion complained about the number of tickets granted for his loved ones during his competition sessions.
“The champion that I am, with everything I have brought back to the Federation, I have the right to two places,” he confided to Léa Salamé.
Although he made it clear to mention the places offered by his Federation, that of judo, the Frenchman did not mention the other places made available to athletes.
As Amélie Oudéa-Castéra recalled on X (ex-Twitter), four tickets were also allocated by the government, and two by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“And the system will of course be exactly the same for the Paralympics,” specifies the Minister of Sports.
Don't worry @teddyriner, you will have 6 places for those around you, for each of your sessions!
✅ @Sports_gouv offers all athletes 🇫🇷, with @franceolympique, 4 places for each athlete for each session where he/she is competing.
For the State, it is an effort… https://t.co/uy85hcW9KL
— Amélie Oudéa-Castéra (@AOC1978) February 25, 2024
The four places offered by the State to French athletes are through the “Win in France” system of the National Sports Agency (ANS).
Yann Cucherat, in charge of the project, explained the issue to us a few months ago: “The tickets were quickly identified as a source of problems, there was no question that the day before his event, an athlete would be requested and let him start looking for tickets.
»
Last May, an email was sent to 1,500 athletes to describe the ANS system.
“We are aware that athletes want to involve their friends,” explained the former French gymnast.
Some would like more but we did what we could.
Our job is to take care of them so that they are put in the best conditions in 2024.” According to Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, this initiative would cost the State 1.6 million euros.
In addition to the tickets distributed by the ANS, two places are also given by the IOC.
These are awarded for each event in which the athlete participates.
In total, a French person therefore benefits from at least six entries for their loved ones during one of their sessions.
“The Federation and the State do a lot for the athletes”
Added to this are the tickets offered independently by each of the sports federations.
The two mentioned by Teddy Riner in the case of judo.
The tricolor colossus, eleven times world champion, therefore has eight places for his events.
“As for the Judo Federation (FFJDA), we are offering two more, which will allow athletes to benefit from eight places per session,” summarized Stéphane Nomis, president of the FFJDA, on Sunday.
So yes, we assume to offer only “two” more to the athletes, as Teddy Riner points out, especially since the Federation and the French State do a lot for the athletes who have never been so well supported, at all levels.
And Teddy too.
»
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The number of places offered by each federation varies depending on the sport, the location where the events take place, the number of remaining seats, and even the reputation of the applicant.
Stéphane Nomis specifies that the federations have not only bought places for athletes: “Judo has more than 550,000 licensees, it has 5,000 clubs.
We bought 7,000 places for our volunteers, for the clubs, they are also judo.
We must think of everyone, and of as many people as possible.
It is a significant effort for the Federation which comes a long way financially, but the Games must remain a popular celebration accessible to all.
»
An athlete, thanks to his official accreditation, can attend all the events in his own discipline.
On the other hand, if he wishes to watch another sport, he must make a request to the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF).
The latter, who has been allocated a quota of places by the IOC, then decides.
Of course, each athlete can also buy tickets in the traditional way, via the Games ticket office.
Places are also intended for relatives of coaches and supervisors.
To do this, the National Technical Directorate of each federation benefited from a volume of free tickets for its competition sessions.