Beautiful setting. Vast and modernist, new and urban. At the 2024 Paris Games, badminton will take place at the Arena Porte de la Chapelle, north of the capital. No less than 6.700 places. A site shared with rhythmic gymnastics, then with weightlifting for the Paralympic meeting.
Louis Knusmann (photo above), a former member of the French Badminton Federation, will be one of the masters of the place. FrancsJeux continues its series of interviews with COJO Paris 2024 sports managers with this ex-volleyball player.
FrancsJeux : Your life before COJO Paris 2024?
Louis Knusmann : I worked for ten years at the French Badminton Federation. I joined as a communications manager, before changing activities and becoming for more than six years project manager for international events organized in France. I then joined, in 2019, the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF). I was in charge of the project Sport in France, the television channel dedicated to Olympic sports.
Your past experience of the Olympic Games?
It is twofold. The first dates back to the London Games in 2012. A spectator and fan experience. I had places for tennis, handball and beach volleyball. I remember feeling an incredible feeling when entering the Olympic Park, something very strong. They had succeeded in creating the Disneyland of sport. More recently, I participated in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as part of the COJO Paris 2024 team, as part of the observer program proposed by the IOC. I experienced the beginnings of para badminton in immersion with the Japanese organizing team. A very nice experience.
A memorable memory from the Games?
The Sydney Games in 2000. I was still a young teenager. I remember getting up in the middle of the night to watch the final of the men's basketball tournament between the United States and France on television. For me, that's what the Olympic Games are: getting up in the middle of the night to experience incredible moments. I also have very strong memories of the Tokyo Paralympic Games. A memory on the field: the gold medal in para badminton of Frenchman Lucas Mazur in the SL4 category. Seeing him on the podium brought tears to my eyes. I worked for ten years at the French Badminton Federation, where I worked alongside Lucas's management. I realized that day, in front of the podium in Tokyo, everything that an Olympic or Paralympic medal could mean for an athlete, for his team and those around him.
The file at the top of the pile on your desk?
There are many, but three files dominate. The first concerns the recruitment of volunteers. The first phase is completed, we have selected the 150 volunteers who will accompany us to the badminton and para badminton site. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work. We will now enter the second phase, preparing the training to offer them. The second file is dedicated to the preparation of the test event. We will piggyback on the French International Badminton Championships, organized from March 5 to 10, 2024 at the Arena Porte de la Chapelle, the site of the Games. The file is not simple, because we will have to test as many things as possible, but without disrupting the organization of the event. Finally, I also work a lot on the accessibility of the Arena Porte de la Chapelle. The site will host badminton and weightlifting at the Paralympic Games. The stakes are high in terms of accessibility, for services to athletes and the entire system.
The badminton and para badminton site: its assets, the challenges in the run-up to the Games?
We are fortunate to benefit from completely new equipment, still under construction. It should be delivered in December, at the latest in January 2024. It is ideally located for players, just 20 or 25 minutes from the village, but also for spectators, since it is served by the metro, the RER and the tram. In addition, it will be used for both training and competition. But its novelty also represents a challenge. It is not possible to go there as we would like, to check our work options or try to plan ahead. With its capacity of 6 to 7.000 spectators, the Arena Porte de la Chapelle will set a record: never, in fact, has a badminton competition been contested in France in front of such a large number of people.
Paris 2024 will be a success for badminton if...
Badminton will be a success at the Paris 2024 Games if the athletes' experience lives up to our promises: smooth transport, a venue conducive to performance, playing conditions that meet Olympic standards. We have the means to do well in terms of organization. For the Paralympic Games, where badminton will be on the program for the second time, we will have succeeded if we manage to do as well as Tokyo 2020, or even a little better.
