Tony Estanguet, “Focus on Games, not politics”
Tony Estanguet, the chief organiser of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, said on Tuesday that he was concentrating on preparations for the Games later this month rather than the political turmoil rocking France.
The president of the Paris 2024 organising committee, Tony Estanguet, was asked if the stated values of Paris 2024 and its motto – “Open Games” – were in line with the anti-immigration and nationalist agenda of the National Rally (RN) party, which led the polls in France’s parliamentary elections last weekend.
“Now we are in the final phase… I want us to respect this great democratic moment and we must stay in our place so that the French can enjoy these Games that they are so eager to see,” he told reporters during a visit to the Olympic Village, distancing himself from the controversy just days before the second round of his country’s election.
The former French triple Olympic champion insisted that the aim of the Games, which run from 26 July to 11 August, was “to unite people”.
The Games should “show the world the courage and the best of what our country has to offer… (and) make people proud of what the country is capable of organising. There is also a desire to unite the French people,” said the head of the organisation of the third Olympic Games in Paris’ history.
“That is what we are focusing on,” Estanguet added in response to persistent questions from journalists.
France’s far-right nationalist party (RN), led by Marine Le Pen, topped the first round of voting for a new parliament on Sunday, with a decisive second round scheduled for next Sunday.
Second place went to the far-left alliance, while President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist allies came third, further unsettling France in the month of the start of the thirty-third modern Olympic Games.
French political analysts say the most likely outcome of the snap election is a hung parliament, which could lead to months of political paralysis in a beleaguered France with a president who has a very low approval rating due to a decline in purchasing power over the past decade.
The winning opposition party could push for anti-immigration measures, proposing the expulsion of illegal immigrants and economic protectionism, further inflaming potential protests and the hostile climate in a divided and highly polarised France, excluding the central government.