“The legacy of games is not just words”
What is the “Great National Cause of 2024”?
It was adopted by the order of the President of the Republic on July 25 for the purpose of promoting physical education and sports. The goal is to put sports at the center of the republican pact and use sports as a lever for public policy. The Games are a historical event, there should be a before/after regarding the place of sport in our society and the way we view sport. They should be a booster for the introduction of physical activity, especially at school. Until recently, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra spoke about the need for a cultural revolution in this regard.
Successful Games are linked to good organization, good sporting results, popular celebration and the legacy of the Olympic Games. 2023 is the year of structuring, 2024 will be the year of results and the following years should be the year of perpetuating the legacy.
My mission is to structure 2024 with the minister’s roadmap and legacy in mind. A story needs to be written around this dual ambition. Therefore, at the minister’s request, I will consult extensively on this matter, particularly with elected officials’ unions.Andes alsoMFA for example) with whom we share our observation that sport can bring a lot to society.
Will local authorities be involved?
This is one of the main challenges of the “great national work of 2024”: the involvement of local authorities. We are sure that the breath of the Games will come from the territories. There is global momentum that we want to unite. For this, we must “blue” the whole nation.
Territories should also benefit from the Games. It already is. Within the framework of the program, many objects, whether sports or not, are being built Solideo. Admittedly, Ile-de-France mainly belongs to the Seine-Saint-Denis department, but other areas also benefit from it, such as Marseille.
More broadly, 1,000 sites in nearly 500 municipalities have been designated as Games Preparation Centers (CPJ). To this should be added the “5,000 sports fields” plan with a budget of 200 million euros, as well as the various programs of Cojop: Terres de Jeux, the flag tour and the torch relay.
We feel that the legacy of the Games is one of the main concerns of the ministry…
Heritage, whether tangible or intangible, is more than just words. The goal is to build a sports nation. This will be done thanks to the repair of all construction and sports equipment. But the legacy is also concrete measures in terms of integration, education or health sports implemented by the government (for example, 30 minutes of physical and sports activity per day in school or two hours of extra work per week in colleges).
Healthy sport is one of our main challenges. There is a scientific consensus that our society produces disease through inactivity and sedentary lifestyles. The latter grew rapidly with the digital revolution and then the pandemic. We are doing less and less physical activity, but it is important for health. Urgent action is needed.
According to WHO, France ranks 119the out of 146 places according to the level of physical education and sports. We are facing a time bomb. The link between sport and health should be one of the strong legacies of the Olympic Games. The Minister of Sports and the Minister of Health are working together to move forward.
The deputy mayor of Montargis, Dr. Dominique Delandre, was tasked by the two ministers to make specific recommendations. With him, elected officials and scientists, we will work throughout the year to make proposals for training health personnel, consolidating the network of sports-health centers, and including physical activity in the course of care or management. appropriate physical activity.
