Thirty-second episode: Belgian Philippe Vande Weyer, daily Olympic journalist Le Soir.
FrancsJeux: What was your journey in the sports movement?
Philippe Vande Weyer: He was more of a “follower” than an actor, even if I practiced running and table tennis quite assiduously, but at a very modest level. My first Olympic emotions date back to the Munich Olympics in 1972, with Mark Spitz's challenge to win seven titles. Emotions that would grip the kid that I was at the time even more, a few days later, with the hostage-taking of Israeli athletes and its tragic end. I also remember my frustration at not having been able to see any image of the Moscow Olympics in 1980, because I lived in the United States where, due to the boycott, the TVs did not broadcast anything. From the moment I was able to double my passion for sport with writing, thanks to a collaboration then a commitment as a journalist at Evening, more than thirty years ago, I became the happiest of men.
What is your role today?
I am still a journalist at Evening from Brussels, where I mainly cover Olympic material and the main sports on the programme, especially athletics, but also sports policy and doping. I try to remain as eclectic as possible, a privilege offered to me by my employer. I closely followed the career of Jacques Rogge, when he was president of the IOC. I have always considered that having a compatriot at the head of the sporting world was a privilege, because it allows you to be more interested in it and better understand the mysteries of the industry. Sports policy and administration, often underestimated fields, are essential cogs in its functioning, sometimes for the better but also, unfortunately, for the worst.
What does the sporting Francophonie represent in your eyes?
In Belgium, a federal country, sport is managed by the three communities – French, Flemish and German-speaking – which have, in this case, total autonomy. The means and policies for helping athletes and federations are not always equivalent between these different entities, which sometimes creates tensions. The concept of “sporting Francophonie” exists in Belgium, but it is not relevant at the international level, where we always speak of “Belgian” athletes, rather than “French-speaking” or “Flemish”. Athletes themselves have always remained very clear on the issue. Sport, in my opinion, has no borders. When I cover a competition, I pay more attention to the quality of a performance than to the origin of the athlete who performs it. Since the beginning of this year, as in every Olympic year since 1988, I have realized for Le Soir a series of weekly portraits of the Olympic selections. I talk as much about athletes from the north as from the south of my country.
What do you expect from the Rio 2016 Games?
Nothing more and nothing less than the previous Games, all of which fascinated me. These Games will be my eighth for The evening, but the event remains fabulous. The news from Brazil is worrying, but my experience forces me to believe that once the Games begin, everything will work as it should. I only hope that the post-Games period will not be a nightmare for the Brazilian people. He doesn't need that. Belgium has ambitions for these Games, where it hopes to do better than in London (one silver medal, two bronze). She can achieve this thanks to strong prospects in sailing, judo, taekwondo, cycling and athletics.
In your opinion, can the values and practice of sport promote “living together”?
More than ever, as long as these values are respected, which has not always been the case recently. I dare to believe in the unifying virtues of sport. I recently had the opportunity to realize this during a report on Syrian swimmer Rami Anis, one of the athletes on the IOC refugee team. He lives and trains in Belgium. He was taken care of by the former Belgian swimming champion Carine Verbauwen, double Olympic finalist at the Moscow 80 Games, who admitted to me that she found it completely normal to take care of him. “I will be able to say that I will have at least done one good thing in my life,” she added. Gorgeous.
