Three years before the Rio Games, and less than twelve months before the Football World Cup, Guyana is starting to dream of an Olympic future. The only French-speaking territory on the South American continent, this French department of America (DFA), populated by 250.000 people, has a common border with Brazil, 700 km long. An asset that its leaders hope to take advantage of to attract as many teams and delegations as possible to their land on their journey to Rio.
The operation has a name: Guyane Base Avancée. It has also already acquired a structure, a GIP (Public Interest Group), led by Roger-Michel Loupec, the president, and Bernard Lama, the former goalkeeper of the Blues, the vice-president. A budget of around 45 million euros has been released to build or modernize, between 2011 and 2014, a wide range of sports equipment.
The main thing remains: to seduce the federations, French or foreign, to choose Guyana to prepare for the 2014 Football World Cup, then the 2016 Olympic and/or Paralympic Games. On paper, there is no shortage of arguments. Guyana is located in the same time zone as Brazil. She is French-speaking. The climate there is very similar to that of Rio. The security guarantees meet European standards, a rarity in this part of the world. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, delegations will have free access to the facilities, including an IAAF-approved athletics track, a 10-lane Olympic swimming pool with warm-up pool, an 1800 m stretch of water for rowing and canoe-kayak racing, a room for combat sports…
Bernard Lama makes no secret of this: “Lobbying to appoint national teams before the World Cup will begin in the fall, when we will have a clearer vision of the qualified countries. » The former Blues goalkeeper, world champion in 1998, hopes to take advantage of his network to convince one or more African teams. France ? “I don’t have too many illusions,” he replies. The FFF has always snubbed us. In forty years, we have never had a visit from a single one of its successive presidents. »
For the Rio Games, Guyana has targeted around fifteen sports. Bernard Lama suggests: “We invite the French federations, but also foreign countries. » Asked by FrancsJeux, the representative of the French Athletics Federation, Olivier Belloc, says he is “tempted by the free and quality of the facilities”, but wary of the distance from Rio. “We are going to carry out a mission to test travel times, but a 4-hour plane journey to reach Rio from Cayenne could prove prohibitive. »
At the French Canoe-Kayak Federation, the deputy DTN, Christophe Rouffet, is less skeptical. “We have just created a training center in Guyana,” he says. Preparing for the Games there would therefore make a certain sense. But we will need more information on the quality of the pool and the athletes who will use it. One thing is certain: we will go there before making a decision. »
To date, there is no direct air connection between Cayenne and Rio. A stopover is obligatory, in Belem, to join the two cities. Disabilities ? “I don’t see why,” retorts Bernard Lama. If necessary, we will charter charters to transport the teams directly to the Olympic city. »
