A page will soon be turned for the French sports movement. Denis Masseglia, president of the French National and Sports Committee (CNOSF) for more than eleven years, will hand over the keys to his office at the end of June. Reached by the age limit (he admits to 73 years), the Marseille leader will not seek a fourth term.
Five months and a handful of days before the end of his presidency, the former international rower and physics professor wants to complete his journey without reducing his pace. After a year 2020 which will remain, according to his own admission, one of the most demanding of his mandate in terms of work and mobilization, he is approaching the home stretch with the desire to leave the place clean and in order. He answered questions from FrancsJeux.
FrancsJeux : What is the biggest challenge facing French sport in 2021?
Denis Masseglia : Resume normal activity. Everything else, including signing legal texts, is classic. But resuming activity in clubs is the number one challenge. The fear is not only economic, it also lies in the uncertainty regarding the behavior of licensees when they can resume sporting activity. Will they come back? Without the opportunity to practice, some move on. The recovery will be all the more difficult the longer the break. Many sports federations are currently in great difficulty, with falling revenues but still significant expenses. I was somewhat reassured last September by the strong demand from practitioners after several months of frustration. But this request should not translate into only individual practice. The licensees must return to the clubs. The challenge is there.
How much do you currently estimate the chances that the Tokyo Games can take place in 2021?
I am not worried about the holding of the Games. The indications provided by the Japanese authorities, by the IOC and by the organizing committee all reflect a common desire to maintain them. I'm confident. The question is rather how they can take place. It would be logical for all accredited people to be asked to be vaccinated. The IOC justified its decision to postpone last year by focusing on vaccination. It is too early to have a precise picture, but we will be able to adapt.
The Paris 2024 project has been, from the start, to contribute to a leap forward in French sport and the place of sport in society. Three and a half years before the Games, are we on the right track?
I never hid it, the first year after the Paris victory was disappointing. In 2018, the resources mobilized by the State for sport did not live up to expectations. Since then, there has been progress. The President of the Republic sent a strong message during the meeting lasting more than two hours held last November by videoconference. The creation of the sports pass (financial assistance from the State for the registration of a young person under the age of 16 in a sports club) would be a flagship measure as part of the legacy of Paris 2024. We hope that it will be established and will be able to continue. The sports pass was approved with an envelope of 100 million euros in 2021. It should increase in the years to come. The sedentary lifestyle of young French people can become a time bomb for society. It is a public health and moral issue. Things are moving forward, but I recognize that they are moving less quickly than we had imagined.
Your last term as president of the CNOSF ends next June. What do you have left to accomplish before you give up?
I have five months left. Before ending, I would like us to be able to adopt a pact of loyalty between us in the sports movement. We voted on act 1 at the last general meeting, I would like to see act 2 before the end of my mandate. I would like to leave a CNOSF intact, economically but also in terms of its capacity for action. To use an expression from the IOC, I hope to see unity emerge in diversity.
What image would you like to leave of yourself as president of the CNOSF?
I don't like talking about myself. I'm more of a doer, as opposed to a sayer. I am more interested in the basis of an action than in the words. The loudmouth aspect, appreciated by the media, has never been my priority. But on a personal level, I would like us to remember the colossal work accomplished over the years to achieve a new model of the sports movement, with shared governance and the creation of the National Sports Agency. I was alone, at the beginning, in campaigning for such a concept. It was finally adopted by 85% by the general assembly of the CNOSF. This is not nothing.
You will no longer be president of the CNOSF at the time of the Paris 2024 Games. Where and how would you like to experience them?
I have no requirements. I will live them as I am asked. I participated in obtaining them, the CNOSF played a major role in this adventure, from the very beginning. But I don't worry about what happens next. I may not be a volunteer (laughs), but if I have to play a role at the Paris 2024 Games, it will be to be of service and be useful. I have one quality: adaptability. I will adapt.
