Novak Djokovic confided it at the beginning of the month during the Dubai tournament: the Paris 2024 Games will be his first goal of the season next year. “ I look forward to this deadline,” recognized the world number 1, whose immense record shows only one lack: the Olympic title.
There is no possible doubt: the tennis tournament of the Paris 2024 Games promises to be one of the most exciting since the return of the discipline to the program during the Seoul Games in 1988.
Less than 500 days before the opening of the next Summer Games, FrancsJeux continues with Gaël Raison (photo above), in charge of the discipline for the COJO, his bi-monthly series of interviews with the sports managers of the organizing committee.
FrancsJeux : Your life before COJO Paris 2024?
Gaël Reason: I joined the French Tennis Federation (FFT) in 2007, through arbitration. I have been a tennis referee since the age of 14. I have reached all levels, at the national and then international level. For two years, I moved to the events department of the federation. At the COJO Paris 2024, I occupy a somewhat special position as sports manager, because it was decided to rely on the expertise of the FFT for the organization of the Olympic and Paralympic tennis tournaments. The federation is thus co-organizer with the COJO, the two parties working hand in hand. I am still an employee of the FFT, but 100% seconded since last September to the Games.
Your past experience of the Olympic Games?
It dates back to the Tokyo 2020 Games. I was head of referees for the Paralympic wheelchair tennis tournament, designated by the international federation (ITF), but representing France. The experience was necessarily quite special, in the health context, with matches behind closed doors. It has given rise to an even stronger expectation to relive “normal” Games next year in Paris, with the public in the stands.
A memorable memory from the Games?
I am a childhood sports fan, of all sports. My Olympic memories are therefore not lacking, some go back a long way. I could spend hours without moving in front of my television. I was marked, for example, by the long jump competition at the Barcelona Games in 1992, between Carl Lewis and Mike Powell, undecided until the last attempt. More recently, the string of French team sports medals at the Tokyo 2020 Games, with this historic succession of performances in a short period of time, between basketball, volleyball and handball.
The file at the top of the pile on your desk?
We opened the volunteer program last week, for its first phase, during which we select the candidates pre-selected by the FFT. The contingent will include 250 people who will work around the athletes. They have been “pre-sourced”. Now they will press the button and commit to participating in the adventure. It becomes concrete, humanly concrete. Another very important file is the dressing and configuration of the Philippe-Chatrier court at Roland-Garros. We are working on this issue with the teams in charge of the look of the Games.
The tennis and wheelchair tennis site: its assets, the challenge in the run-up to the Games?
Being able to have an existing site, the Roland-Garros stadium, is obviously a plus. But the idea is not to do another Roland-Garros. We want to offer something different, by bringing our expertise in the locations and organization of a tennis tournament, while respecting the vision and the level of requirements of the IOC. Thanks to SOLIDEO, we will be able to have a second indoor court, the Suzanne-Lenglen. This will bring us a lot of comfort. Two indoor courts is very new for us. An important challenge will be to successfully transition between tennis and boxing, the finals of which are scheduled at Roland-Garros from Tuesday August 6. We will have two and a half days for this. But tennis must end on Sunday August 4.
Paris 2024 will be a success for tennis if…
A popular success, legendary matches, a French medalist and players fully satisfied with their experience. A final between Nadal and Djokovic would be historic. There could be nothing more beautiful. Success for us, organizers, will also be measured by our ability to put athletes in the best conditions so that they can concentrate exclusively on their sporting performance. To do this, everything must be simple, fluid and efficient. Afterwards, on the court, it is the players who write history.
