France and Australia already shared an enviable status as future hosts of the Olympic Games. In Paris next year on the French side, eight years later in Brisbane on the Australian side. The two countries sealed their rapprochement even more firmly on Sunday April 23 on the Olympic field.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has signed a memorandum of understanding with its French counterpart (CNOSF). It was initialed in Brisbane by Ian Chesterman, the president of the AOC, and Brigitte Henriques, his French counterpart (photo above). Proof of the importance of this agreement, the former international football player had made the long journey to Queensland to put her signature at the bottom of the document.
Concluded for a period of more than five years, until December 31, 2028, the agreement between the two national Olympic committees is intended to be broad and diversified. The AOC and the CNOSF plan to work together on a long series of subjects, including cooperation in the fight against doping and abuse in sport, sport-health, but also marketing and even, more unprecedented, organization of major sporting events.
The protocol signed on Sunday April 23 in Brisbane must also “ promote collaboration and training exchanges between Australian and French sports, to support innovative programs in the field of high performance and research in sports sciences"
Comment from Ian Chesterman, John Coates' successor as head of the Australian Olympic movement: " With Paris 2024 around the corner and Brisbane 2032 less than ten years away, there is much to be gained for our two bodies by working together on areas of common interest. As a member of the National Olympic Committees of Oceania (ONOC), we are determined to ensure that the Brisbane 2032 Games are a home Games for all our Pacific neighbors, including the French territories. Likewise, we have a lot to learn before Paris 2024"
Same story with Brigitte Henriques: “ We are delighted to have signed the first memorandum of understanding between the Australian and French NOCs today and to take advantage of the Paris 2024 and Brisbane 2032 Games to strengthen our cooperation. Under the Olympic Charter, we are all committed to respecting fair play and protecting the integrity of international sport. Our athletes are at the center of everything we do. Providing them with the best performance environment, ensuring their mental health and, of course, the health of the planet, are all issues that are important to us. I am convinced that strengthened collaboration will help us achieve these objectives."
Among the priorities of the two countries, the realization of a program intended to bring together Australian and French schools. Less than 500 days before the Paris 2024 Games, it is still in its early stages, but both parties assure that it will be operational well before the next Summer Games. The Australians know the ropes, having set up a very similar initiative before the Tokyo 2020 Games. It enabled exchanges between 600 Australian and Japanese schools to be established.
The agreement signed on Sunday April 24 between the AOC and the CNOSF is not the first sign of a strategic rapprochement between Australia and France. Last July, an exchange protocol had already been concluded between the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) in Canberra and the French National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP). The document was initialed in Paris by former swimmer Kieren Perkins, director general of the Australian Sports Commission, and former judoka Fabien Canu, director of INSEP. It provides for strengthened collaboration between the Australian and French national teams, and access for Australian athletes to INSEP training sites, as part of their preparation for the Paris 2024 Games.
The merger also concerns the organizing committees for the Paris 2024 and Brisbane 2024 Games. Vincent Pasquini, in charge of international cooperation at the Paris 2024 COJO, explained this last month to FrancsJeux : the first discussions, still informal, have already begun with Brisbane 2032, particularly at the financial management level.
