You are not born president, you become one. The formula fits Tony Estanguet like a glove. The three-time Olympic canoe champion did not seem destined to one day sit in a presidential chair.
At the start of the Paris 2024 adventure, the role was entrusted to Bernard Lapasset, the former president of the IRB. Then Tony Estanguet moved up a notch, during the application phase, to take his place alongside him. Since Paris' victory in the race for the Summer Games in 2024, he has held the position alone. As if it were obvious.
Less than three years from the deadline, Tony Estanguet explained at length to FrancsJeux how he experienced the Tokyo Games as president of the COJO Paris 2024, but also how he viewed his role, its risks and its challenges. A two-part interview.
A president at the Tokyo Games
“During the Tokyo Games, the vast majority of my time was dedicated to my role as President of the COJO Paris 2024, even though I still had an IOC member hat. I met all the presidents of international federations, all the stakeholders in the Olympic movement, the broadcasters, OBS (Olympic broadcasting services), some major national Olympic committees…. My role was to work with the organizing committee, the IOC, the international federations, to quietly prepare the relay towards Paris 2024. I was essentially attached to this mission. I learned from my presence in Tokyo that the entire international ecosystem and French stakeholders hope that Paris 2024 will be a real success. It gives me serenity. Many of us want it to work. Things don't just rest on my shoulders. »
President of the COJO, a role to be shaped
“I was perhaps not destined for this role, but I live it very well. It’s an absolutely incredible personal challenge. A rare challenge. I am completely fulfilled in this mission. I approach it as I have always done in my previous challenges. I observe. I meet. I change. I met the teams from London 2012, Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018, Tokyo 2020. I draw inspiration from the way I see things, always with the Paris 2024 Games in mind. But I want to bring my perspective and my added value, so as not to be fair in reproducing what others have already done. The idea is to build the strongest possible base, with what worked in past editions, but by forcing yourself to build a new model. »
Nourished by meetings and exchanges
“I have not undergone training to become president of the OCOG. But I was very curious about everything I was able to learn from Bernard Lapasset, Jean-Claude Killy, Thomas Bach, Christophe De Kepper, Christophe Dubi, all these personalities who knew different organizing committees before me. I was nourished by these exchanges. But after a while, I wanted to function like I did when I was an athlete. At the beginning, we draw on the advice of coaches and athletes who have competed in the Games before us. And then one day, you have to go. You have to take responsibility and decide alone. At this point, here I am. When a topic comes up, I learn from people who have already been faced with such a question. Then, when it comes to deciding, I do it with the right people around the table. There is a time to learn, and a time to do. I am very well surrounded, with people who support me and advise me. We have always been able to move forward collectively. It’s crazy wealth. The positions of each party are not always the same, but there remains freedom of speech in this project. »
More conductor than politician
“The success of Paris 2024 depends on many players. Players from the world of sport, national and international, but also French public authorities. My role is to provide coherence, allow each of these actors to find their place and contribute to the success of the project. There are many speakers, but I see it as a real opportunity because everyone wants to be there. My role is to arouse desire and maintain a very strong ambition. Beyond this aspect, which constitutes the most important part of my function, I also have an executive role. We organized the OCOG with directors and departments. We have to coordinate all of this. Ensure that everyone allows the project to move forward and succeed. The Paris 2024 Games will be successful if all public stakeholders continue to invest as they have from the start. They carry this Games ambition for France. I have to work with them, I have to get them on board. They are all volunteers, it is clear to me that this remains a collective adventure. »
