It's done. The future organizing committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games already knew its president, Tony Estanguet. He can now also put a name in the box reserved for the position of general manager. Without the slightest surprise, Etienne Thobois, 50 years old, an Olympian from badminton, will lead the maneuver. He had already held the same level of responsibility within the bid committee since the start of the Parisian project. He keeps the keys to his office. Logical and legitimate.
Announced Tuesday, December 19 at the end of the evening, the announcement of the choice of Etienne Thobois puts an end to a false suspense. In Tony Estanguet's mind, there was probably never a single moment a question of imagining another scenario. In his mind, the question had always been settled.
The name of the future general director was also announced during the evaluation commission's visit to Paris in mid-May, four months before the IOC's decision to award the Games to Paris in 2024. Bernard Lapasset explained at a press conference, at the end of the visit, that Tony Estanguet would be president and Etienne Thobois general manager.
According to everyone, the IOC wanted to know well in advance, even before the Lima session, what governance a possible future organizing committee would choose. But, once victory was achieved, what appeared to be obvious seemed to disturb some among the public authorities. Anne Hidalgo, in particular, would not have appreciated being presented with a fait accompli.
Tony Estanguet therefore respected the forms. A recruitment firm, Odgers Berndtson, was appointed with the mission of unearthing the rare bird. The process began on November 20. It ended Tuesday evening, with the hearing of the four finalists. In the meantime, headhunters have received and analyzed the service offers from 61 candidates.
Jérémy Botton, the former general director of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), presented from the start of the race as the most serious outsider, was not selected in the final short list. A suprise. The only one in history. Yet he had campaigned.
In addition to Etienne Thobois, Tony Estanguet and the six other members of the selection committee auditioned Amélie Castera-Oudéa, a former French tennis hopeful and marketing director of the Axa group. Last May, she had already offered herself for the post of Minister of Sports. The two other finalists wished not to make themselves known. They would come from the private sector.
Once his decision was made, Tony Estanguet would have personally informed Emmanuel Macron and Anne Hidalgo by telephone on Tuesday evening.
By maintaining his confidence in Etienne Thobois, one of the key men in Paris' success in the race for the Games, Tony Estanguet is not taking any risks. He chose an informed connoisseur of the Olympic movement, experienced in the demands of major sporting events. The former French badminton champion, selected for the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, cut his teeth as financial director of the organizing committee for the World Athletics Championships at the Stade de France in 2003. Then he climbed a flight of steps by taking charge of the organizing committee for the Rugby World Cup in France in 2007.
The name of Etienne Thobois as general manager will be officially announced on Thursday December 21, late in the morning, during the last Paris 2024 board meeting, scheduled at the Ministry of Sports. Everyone will then be able to spend the holidays in complete peace, before meeting again the following month. The organizing committee for the Paris 2024 Games (COJOP) will be formally created on January 18, 2018.
