the selection of sports books to slip under the tree

Paris 2024 (ed. Hugo Sport), €44.95

2024 will remain for (a very long time) the year of the Olympic Games in Paris. So, if there's only one book to ask Santa this year, it's this one. A magnificent official work of the enchanted interlude offered by athletes from the four corners of the planet or the opportunity to relive in images, sport by sport, all the great moments of the Parisian fortnight. The hundreds of photos are magnificent, accompanied by texts whose sobriety we appreciate. The book not only relives the exploits on all the playing fields. The journey of the flame, the opening and closing ceremony also have their place in the story, just like the prize list and the results which follow a sublime double page photo of the Olympic flame in the Tuileries at sunset. Essential.

The 2024 Golden Book of the Games, Mickaël Caron (ed. Solar), €24.90

an alternative to the aforementioned work which presents an advantage even if it is less bulky (but with a lower price too). The 2024 Olympic Golden Book also evokes the Paralympic adventure by giving a very large place to French medalists. A few pages at the end of the book thus highlight the exploits of all those who extended the delicious Olympic summer until the beginning of September from the pen of Mickaël Caron who covered the two events for the Tribune Dimanche.

Formula 1, the world tour of exceptional circuits; Basketball, a world tour of exceptional playgrounds and rooms (ed. Talent sport), €32

Last year, the sports editorial team recommended two books on a world tour of football and rugby fields. An unusual journey across the planet to discover extraordinary sites and unique photos. Talent Sport returns with two new opuses, this time dedicated to basketball and Formula 1. On the program: exceptional playgrounds and rooms from Puerto Rico to Ghandruck (in Nepal) via New York (Elvis Roquand and Charly Genar ) on one side and unmissable historical circuits on the other (Emmanuel Touzot). The French routes of Dijon, Charade, Paul Ricard, Bugatti, Reims-Gueux, Rouen-les-Essarts have a good place in this selection of excellence.

Behind the scenes of the Tour de France, Jean-Luc Gatellier (ed. Marabout), €59

Everything, everything, everything, you will know everything about the Tour. The incomparable summer soap opera is a long story. In 2025, the 112^e edition will stretch from Lille to Paris (for the big return to the Capital, after the interlude in Nice due to the Olympics and for the 50th anniversary of the arrival on the Champs-Elysées). The champions, the secrets of the start village, the security service, the starts from abroad, the public, the refereeing of the commissioners, the photo finish, the fight against cheating, the hotels, the advertising caravan, the team bus, the kitchens, the broom car, the protocol, the VIPs, the sponsors, the jerseys, the race in mondovision… Jean-Luc Gatellier offers a fascinating and detailed visit behind the scenes of the largest annual global sporting event. Essential for enthusiasts.

Rafael Nadal, The Greatest of All Time, Fabrice Abgrall and François Thomazeau (ed. En Exergue), €27.90

From the discovery of Les Petits As in 1999 to the twilight in 2024, the authors, fine connoisseurs of the tennis planet, revisit Rafael Nadal. A phenomenon. An outstanding player, planted on clay before shining everywhere else. To make hearts beat. On and away from the courts. Through his commitment, his combativeness, his humility, his personality. His successes, his rivalries, his XXL career are told by those who saw him grow up, those who faced him. Without forgetting his tics, his Roland-Garros kingdom, his injuries or the figures of a list which lists 92 titles (including 22 Grand Slams and 36 Masters 1000). Two years after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal retired during the Davis Cup finals in Malaga. He will leave a deep mark in the history of Roland-Garros (14 titles) and tennis. For inconsolable fans. And everyone else.

Skateboard Culture, told by those who live it, Morvan Bouvant and Sébastien Carayol (ed. Chêne), €59.90

Every good skateboarder must have in their library this book retracing the history of skateboarding from the 70s to the present day. A dive into a sport first but not only. Skateboard Culture is an ode to an art of living, a philosophy of life since these skateboarding enthusiasts who have occupied urban spaces for almost six decades have influenced many aspects of our modern societies: fashion, music, photography and cinema too. All aspects of this practice are dissected in this very visual panel which gives voice to the biggest names in skateboarding. The essential Morvan Bouvant, to whom we owe the organization of numerous events, and Sébastien Carayol, journalist, have signed a new reference work in the field.

Le Touquet, 50 years old, the heroes of Enduro, Eric Poiret (ed. Solar), €35

Founded in 1975 by Thierry Sabine, the Enduro du Touquet for the oldest, now become Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais, will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary from February 7 to 9 in the North. Eric Poiret, the man who probably knows best this event, the longest sand race in the world, traces its history, from birth to its transformation in recent years through the exploits of motorcycle legends like Kees van der Ven , Arnaud Demeester or the Potisek clan but also the amateurs. An essential book for all those who have dreamed of the exploits of these sand gladiators.

The crazy superstitions of champions, Étienne Bonamy, Christophe Duchiron and Manuel Tissier, (ed. Solar), €24.90

Manuel Tissier and Christophe Duchiron, to whom we owe In Unbeknownst to My Free Will, a book as serious as it is funny on excuses in doping cases, return to bookstore shelves with an excellent work on superstitions athletes. Associated with Étienne Bonamy, the two authors lift the veil on the beliefs and rites which have contributed to writing the history of sport. Michael Jordan's lucky shorts, the bottles of holy water of the coach Giovanni Trapattoni's sister, Rafael Nadal's favorite tics, the legend Johan Cruyff's No. 14, Lev Yachine's glass of vodka before the matches or the peanut butter sandwich of ex-Celtics star Kevin Garnett… The trio creates a new encyclopedia of superstition. A funny and colorful book that we peck over and over again.

The golden book of cycling, football, rugby… (ed. Solar)

Should we still present this collection which, every year, is a reference and comes to fill the libraries of our stays? You can go with your eyes closed to pick up your opus 2024 in your favorite bookstore. The year of cycling signed Jean-Luc Gatelier for cycling enthusiasts, The year of basketball (Yann Casseville, Yann Ohnona) for lovers of the floor (we appreciate the cover image of Yabusele's dunk on LeBron James at the Olympics ), The year of football (Gérard Ejnes) or even rugby (Pierre-Michel Bonnot, Maxime Raulin) and the motorcycle signed by the essential Michel Turco, it All you have to do is make your choice(s).

Bad boys and girls of tennis, François Thomazeau (ed. Solar), €27.95

When you think of a bad boy in tennis, one player necessarily immediately comes to mind, John McEnroe. The legendary American complainer, however, is not the only one to lose control of his nerves on the courts. François Thomazeau has written a delicious encyclopedia of the tantrums of these players who we love to hate when they exceed the limits of what is acceptable. The journalist, who covered the Tour de France for Le Figaro, does not confine himself to a list of the most beautiful hotheads of the little yellow ball where Benoît Paire, Andy Roddick, Nick Kyrgios, Goran Ivanisevic among the men, Alizé Cornet, Jennifer Capriati or Suzanne Lenglen for women have their place. Other chapters explore the party animals (Boris Becker, Vitas Gerulaitis, Marc Rosset), the irreconcilable players (Ivan Lendl- John McEnroe, Nick Kyrgios-Stanislas Wawrinka…), the referees who caused sparks with their decisions and even the most tasteless outfits. An absolutely recommended book to read and reread at a time when the circuit has calmed down considerably in recent years.

The French basketball team (according to Trashtalk), the great story (ed. Marabout), €39.90

It was close for the Blues to achieve the unthinkable by being crowned Olympic champions in Paris against the United States on the floor of Bercy. The French team had to be content with the silver medal but at a time when the French team is producing gems at the same rate as Stephen Curry is scoring three-point baskets with the Golden State Warriors, we can look back into the history of the French selection with the offbeat and insolent tone of trashtalk, a reference site for basketball news. We appreciated the vintage side of the layout and the particularly careful selection of photos.

In the shadow of the knockouts, Christian Mpanzu (ed. Amphora), €34.95

One of the editorial team's favorites. In the editorial office, the book was passed from office to office, leafed through, commented on and even a little dog-eared at the end, like the boxer leaving the ring after a knockout. Christian Mpanzu signs a masterful album devoted to the terrors of the rings, to those who, after a lightning strike, extinguish the light in the heads of their opponents. Some of the greatest pugilists in history speak out, like Manny Pacquiao, Sugar Ray Leonard and Deontay Wilder. Testimonies of rare richness to which are added other interviews with managers or coaches without tongue in cheek. The story is centered around 26 mythical rounds, explained and dissected. A fascinating odyssey at the end of which the reader will finally be able to answer THE question: who signed the greatest knockouts in the great history of noble art? The sports editorial team of Le Figaro ended up making a decision after an interminable debate. Your turn.

Thibaut Pinot, Alexandre Roos (éd. Solar), €29.90

On one side, Thibaut Pinot, the darling of the French. On the other, Alexandre Roos, one of the finest members of L'Equipe, follower of the Tour de France caravan and privileged confidant of the fiery climber. Solar and L'Equipe editions are releasing the most complete book on the French champion, an atypical and endearing character, who has retired for a few months. We follow Thibaut Pinot on his bike, we vibrate to the rhythm of his exploits or his moments of doubt on the Grand Bouche. We find him through some of his passions, PSG in particular, and we get to know him better by reading the testimonies of those who met him closely on the roads, Marc Madiot or his brother, Julien. A discreet character, especially since he put the bike away in 2023, Pinot reveals himself like never before. A very great success.