Martin Fourcade may have hung up his rifle six years ago, but the Catalan still draws attention. On Wednesday, as he slipped into the mixed zone at the Antholz-Anterselva biathlon stadium, phones were quickly thrust towards the six-time Olympic champion. Despite a busy schedule, he took the time to answer them. Francs Jeux and to give his perspective on the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games, of which he has visited several competition venues in recent days.
How are you experiencing these Olympic Games as a member of the IOC?
I'm hard at work! I'm experiencing the Games differently than the general public. I'm trying to pay close attention to the spectator experience, which is fantastic here in Antholz, but more complicated in some other locations because these Games are so spread out, with a lot of distances. This is a model we chose because there are some truly wonderful things to showcase. I believe we're in the best possible location to demonstrate how utilizing existing stadiums, existing expertise, and investing in stadiums that will have a long lifespan is a great thing for sport.
We're seeing a bit less of that multi-sport Olympic atmosphere, which is something athletes really strive for. We need to find a model, to know when it's necessary to have extremely dispersed venues and when we can do things differently. I'm attached to this single location at the Olympic Games because I've experienced it and because I understand all the benefits, all the values it conveys. I'm also aware of the cost of the Games, both economic and environmental, so it's about finding the best way to combine these two components, which aren't always easy to reconcile.
In fact, Émilien Jacquelin said that he regretted not being able to meet other athletes here in Antholz Anterselva.
It's definitely unusual. And it's not the first time. I was talking with my older brother Simon, who experienced the Turin Games in 2006; it was exactly the same setup as here. It's part of the model. It was the same at the Paris Games, which I worked on extensively: sailing in Marseille, shooting in Châteauroux, handball and basketball shared in Lille, and surfing in Tahiti. It's part of an Olympic Games model that needs to evolve, and will continue to evolve. We need to learn as much as possible from this experience to improve the next Games, which will be very similar.
Do you feel that Milan-Cortina marks a turning point in the configuration of the Winter Games?
No, because even though this is the first time the Games are so spread out, the Winter Games have always been divided into several hubs. This was the case in Vancouver with three main hubs, in Pyeongchang with two, and in Sochi, where there were at least four memorial sites. What's certain is that here we're on a very large scale, with very long distances, but if we look at Salt Lake City in 2034, we have Games that will once again be very compact. We need to adapt the Games to a territory, and no longer adapt the territory to the Olympic Games.
