He experienced the Games in the shoes of an athlete. Three times. With, at the end of the effort, so many Olympic medals: silver in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, bronze in Rio 2016. He is going through them today in a more official role, that of member of the IOC.
Elected to the Athletes' Commission during the Tokyo 2020 Games, Pau Gasol met the media on Friday August 2. The former Spanish basketball player, now 44 years old, has a connoisseur's eye on the Paris 2024 Games. He talks about the successes, but without hiding the questions that the event can raise among athletes.
FrancsJeux : What do you think of the Paris 2024 Games, at this stage of the event, in your capacity as a member of the Athletes' Commission?
Pau Gasol : These are my first Games as an IOC member. At this stage, I find them very successful. The village is very good, the athletes are happy. There were some great stories, Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky… I went to Lille to watch basketball. The matches bring together more than 20.000 spectators, for both men and women. This is the first time that an Olympic basketball tournament has taken place so far from the host city. But there were also some problems: food in the village, the restaurant, air conditioning, water from the Seine. We raised all these issues, it was important to do so on behalf of the Athletes' Commission. They have been resolved.
Air conditioning in village rooms was a hotly debated topic before the Games began. What is your position on this issue?
I understand the desire of the Paris 2024 COJO to offer sustainable Games, Games that send a message. They built the village in this state of mind, in accordance with the recommendations of the IOC, without air conditioning in the rooms. We must not lose sight of the fact that air conditioning is not yet really part of the culture of European countries. It is not as present as in the United States, for example. But we must also find a balance with the comfort of the athletes and the conditions for performance. I had the opportunity to discuss this issue with Tony Estanguet and Martin Fourcade (IOC member and president of the COJO Paris 2024 Athletes' Commission). The solution that was found, with portable devices for those who wish them, seems to me to respect this balance.
What differences did you notice between the villages you knew when you were a basketball player, and that of the Paris 2024 Games?
The first difference, undoubtedly the most important, is this space dedicated to mental health. Athletes can come here to seek peace and quiet. This is a plus, especially with the omnipresence of social networks. The other development is technology. Today, athletes have apps for just about everything. We weren't there at the Beijing 2008 or London 2012 Games.
At the Paris 2024 Games, the opening ceremony on the Seine was also a considerable difference from previous Games...
It's true. OBS did a fantastic job on this ceremony. It was a very good television product. Now I want to know what the athletes think about it. They are the first to be affected. We will listen to them. Having experienced several, I know that entering the stadium is a very strong and very special moment. At the Athletes' Commission, we seek and encourage exchanges with other athletes. They must express themselves, make themselves heard, talk about their problems if they have them.
There was a lot of talk about the Rodchenkov law during the IOC session before the start of the Games, during the election of Salt Lake City for the 2034 Winter Games. What do you think?
This is a real problem, because the way the Americans are using this law endangers the safety of members of the Olympic movement in the United States. I think the election of Gene Sykes (the president of the American Olympic committee) as a member of the IOC can calm the situation. At the session, I sensed great excitement among the members about returning to Salt Lake City. But at the same time, we cannot ignore the dangers of this Rodchenkov law.
