(ATR) A new report delivered to the French Sports Ministry on Jan. 30 outlines methods to increase high performance sport and the country’s medal count at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
France’s former national handball coach Claude Onesta made 14 recommendations to develop French sport in a 33-page report made public on Tuesday. Among the proposals is giving potential Olympic athletes a "high-performance" status that would help them receive more money and a better chance of sponsorships.
According to Francs-Jeux, these athletes would be determined by each National Federation’s new "Performance Directors", a position created within Onesta’s recommendations. Onesta was commissioned by sports minister Laura Flessel to create the report in September 2017.
While Onesta believes France can achieve the goal set by Flessel of 80 medals at the 2024 Games in the Parisian capital, his outlook for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Summer Games are less optimistic. Onesta predicts 45 medals for France at Tokyo 2020.
"We are in the process of winning medal winning disciplines," said Onesta. "We hope that these poor results will be temporary, but in some cases they seem to have to last. We can mention the men's judo behind Teddy Riner, the swimming race, and many others.
"The situation is much more worrying on the Paralympic side, where France seems to have to fallen from 12th to 18th worldwide between 2016 and 2017."
A spokesperson for Paris 2024 tells Around the Rings that a copy of the report has not been distributed to the Organizing Committee.
"We did not receive it as it is a matter for the Sport Minister and CNOSF/CPSF (French Olympic and Paralympic Committees)," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson would not comment about the recommendations in the report but says it is important to make these types of goals.
"The success of the Games will be possible if we are ambitious at every level, including medals."
Written by Kevin Nutley
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