A double hat. A unique case. Vincent Anstett, 31, world champion in 2006 with the French saber team, combines the functions of marketing director for the European fencing championships in Strasbourg, scheduled for June 7 to 14, 2014, and candidate for the selection for this continental competition. He answered questions from FrancsJeux.
FrancsJeux: With 70 days to go before the event, how are the European Fencing Championships looking in Strasbourg?
Vincent Anstett: We started preparation eighteen months ago. Today, things are becoming clearer. Our budget is high, reaching around 1 million euros, because we wanted to set up a technical system close to that of a world championship. Usually, one Euro costs more or less €300.000. We have built a very ambitious marketing offer, but the results are positive. A dozen partners support us. Our marketing revenue stands at €240.000. And the budget is almost complete.
How is the ticketing going?
We have 3500 places per day for sale. During the week, the presence of 3900 children from schools in the region invited to the competition should ensure good occupancy of the stands, with at least 1500 to 2000 spectators. The last four days we should be full.
And the media coverage?
It’s very paradoxical, but television rights sell better abroad than in France. Russian and Italian channels have already acquired them. In France, we have not found a broadcaster ready to provide live broadcasting. We have only received proposals for reports on D + 1. It will therefore not be possible to follow the competitions live on television. But the Euro will be available on the Internet. At the last world championships, the live broadcast generated more than 300.000 views.
Does France remain a land of influence in the world of fencing?
We are less influential than in the past, notably at the time when the president of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) was French (René Roch). Today he is Russian (billionaire Alisher Usmanov). But his number 2, the secretary general, is the Frenchman Frédéric Pietruszka. France remains a major player, a stronghold. But recent years have been marked by the emergence of new countries, such as the United States, China, South Korea, and certain African nations. At the London Games, the flag bearer for the American delegation was a fencer.
You wear the dual role of organizer of the European championships and candidate for selection for the saber event. Is this compatible?
Yes. I use what I experienced as a fencer in my role as an organizer. And I use my experience of two years in the marketing department of the French Football Federation (FFF). In Strasbourg, we are going to put athletes at the heart of the system. A village will be dedicated to them, they will be able to be peaceful there. Abroad, I have experienced competitions where we were forced to change in the stands, in the middle of the public. By putting the athletes in the best conditions, we promote the spectacle, and therefore the interest of the spectators.
