In order to win more medals than the 33 in Tokyo and to achieve the goal of 80 more or less indicated, according to all observers we have to do a lot.

Are you entering the top 5 in the world, as Emmanuel Macron said when he received the Tokyo medalists at the Elysee Palace in early September? “I started the idea“, Said after the ceremony Claude Onesta, former French-owned manufacturer of Olympic medals and current high-ranking head of the National Sports Agency (ANS).

She presents her orientations for 2024 on Tuesday, but the march is high.

Under the avenues: surround yourself with the best coaches. Indeed, the recruitment of foreign coaches and the return of certain French coaches has already begun.

The French swimming federation recruited Jacco Verhaeren, the former Dutch coach of the Australian team, before the summer.

“An initial investment of 200,000 euros, which will contribute to Jacco Verhaeren’s payroll, to operating costs and to promote the coaches of the structures of excellence, was agreed between the ANS and the president of the association.“, Then quoted Claude Onesta from the association’s website.

– Brazilian legend –

Volleyball, which shone in gold in Tokyo with Laurent Tillie at the helm, has now signed the Brazilian legend Bernardinho. The French Gym Association has just paid for the services of a Ukrainian trainer, Vitaly Marinich, who has worked in the US for a long time.

New entry from French rowers announced with fanfare: the German Jürgen Grobler, long-time successful trainer of British rowing.

At the same time as these international greats, French trainers are resuming their service in France, such as Hugues Obry, who left to train Chinese swordsmen.

“Bringing coaches back from abroad can be a good solution, I am not convinced that it will solve all of our problems“, Observes Ludovic Royé, President of the Association of National Technical Directors (DTN).

Some went for the money or for other reasons.

In 2016, Siegfried Mazet, the coach of biathlete Martin Fourcade, switched to Norway and made no secret of his financial motives. Because where the average net salary in France at the beginning and in the middle of a career fluctuates between 2,000 and 2,500 euros, it is multiplied by four or five abroad.

However, if the extension touched on in the context of the Olympic preparatory agreements is a little more, it does not allow for alignment.

“The question of assessment at time T and medium / long term career is one of the weaknesses of the French system.“, summarizes Mr. Royé and indicates a problem”attractiveness“from all positions of responsibility”,troubling symptom“.

– “Better recognition“-

“Often times when people leave it’s because they haven’t been able to find the career path they want internally. Once they leave, they cannot return because the French rating is insufficient.“, He decrypts.

Hence the need for “better recognition from management“, Including financial, endorsed by Claude Onesta.

Rodolphe Bouché, coach of the French sports federation based in the center of Antibes, has already been approached several times with an emigration. To go to India, he was offered four times his salary. But he doesn’t have the soul of a “mercenary“and notes that his status as a CTS (technical and sports advisor) guarantees him stability.

When we go abroad “,it’s a much more precarious system, it can stop overnight and you go home“He explains to AFP. Others, like Cécile and Laurent Landi, the French coaches of American gymnast Simone Biles and other American Olympic champions, have tried a different route in the USA.

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Small encouraging sign: “When I saw before Tokyo that there would also be bonuses for coaches (if athletes win a medal, editor’s note), I said to myself + that’s it, it moves +“, Remarked Rodolphe Bouché.

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