Some will only see it as a coincidence of timing. For the others, there is no doubt, France is thinking more and more strongly about an Olympic candidacy. And this, up to the top of the State. For this month of November alone, François Hollande's diary is marked with three so-called "Olympic" meetings. Three meetings in two weeks where the President of the Republic raised, or must do, the question of a candidacy for the Games.

The most immediate is Monday, November 25, 2013. At the end of the morning, François Hollande receives Valérie Fourneyron, the Minister of Sports, Denis Masseglia, the president of the CNOSF, and Bernard Lapasset, the boss of the IRB, at the Elysée, placed since the beginning of the year at the head of the French International Sports Council (CFSI). The meeting is completely official, it is included in the agenda of the Presidency of the Republic. Its content is less so. But it is not difficult to guess, from reading the names of the guests, that it will mainly be about France's Olympic ambitions.

Valérie Fourneyron and Denis Masseglia will also meet this Thursday, November 28, but in Matignon this time, for a meeting with Jean-Marc Ayrault, the Prime Minister.

Earlier in the month, François Hollande had already strengthened his knowledge of the Olympic world, in the same place, with three other players in the file. On Friday November 15, he received for lunch at the Elysée the three French members of the IOC, Jean-Claude Killy, Guy Drut and Tony Estanguet. A meeting enhanced by the presence of former judoka Thierry Rey, the President's sports advisor. That’s eight gold medals at the Games around the table! At the heart of the conversation, the hypothesis of a French candidacy for the Summer Olympics, in 2024 or 2028.

Upon leaving the Elysée, Guy Drut explained to FrancsJeux: “We found a President who is very attentive. And very eager for answers about the IOC, its organization and Thomas Bach. We didn't just talk about that, but obviously the question of a bid for the Games was raised. »

Next step: a meeting between the head of state and Thomas Bach, also in Paris, probably at the Elysée. The IOC President is due to travel to the French capital at the end of the month, on the occasion of the Centenary of the International Fencing Federation (FIE). A Parisian visit which should be marked by a meeting with François Hollande.

Will France embark on an Olympic adventure? The answer is not expected to be known until next year, at the earliest. But one thing is certain: François Hollande consults.