Nathalie Péchalat will soon be at the helm of the presentation of the figure skating events of the European Championships, organized from January 27 to February 2 in Tallinn, Estonia. The 41-year-old athlete, five-time French champion and double European champion in ice dancing with her partner Fabian Bourzat, will be accompanied by Marie-Christelle Maury and Annick Dumont for this new role which she is already looking forward to .
“I don't care about these stories about quotas even if I understand that, in certain areas like sport, we need them to change mentalities. Above all, I hope that we were chosen for our skills and our complementarity.“, she indicated to journalists from TV 2 Weeks.
It wasn't the same time
In the past, it was the champion Philippe Candeloro who was famous for his sometimes eccentric but often very funny presentation of skating events. Moments which marked the French public but which were sometimes judged “sexist” by certain viewers. The mother of Jeanne and Alice (fruits of her love with Jean Dujardin) confides: “It wasn't the same time. He was loved for his outspokenness, but then he was told that the rules of the game had changed. It's not easy for anyone to question themselves. But when I comment, I know that there are limits to the natural and spontaneous side“.
-On the set of C à vous, Nathalie Péchalat had already mentioned these criticisms, in the presence of the main person concerned. If Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine presented them as “competitors, rivals“, Nathalie Péchalat rather recalled that they “serve the same discipline“. “What I criticize you, Philippe, is making jokes or talking about slightly light things while we're doing the performances. It's an investment for years. I like it moderately. During the ordeal, we must respect, or really talk about it. But afterwards, we can make jokes, even sexist ones. He makes me laugh“, said the one who shares Jean Dujardin's life. A diplomat, she nevertheless concluded: “I love Philippe!“. And the latter for his part rarely spared her. The three-time Olympic champion thus gave an interview for Pocket TV in which he appeared very alarmed. “At the time of Didier Gailhaguet, the family of former champions were kept apart and I hoped it would be different with them. But she also handles things solo“ , he explained when talking about the governance of Nathalie Péchalat. At the time, for the former skater the sentence was final: “The situation is quite catastrophic.”
Nathalie Péchalat: her future role at the Winter Olympics in 2026
Now part of a 100% female trio, the one who was elected in 2020 the first woman to the presidency of the French Ice Sports Federation (FFSG) has also already signed up with France Télévision to comment on the Olympic Games. winter of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in 2026. As for the organization of the Winter Olympics which will take place in France in 2030, Nathalie Péchalat “don't know yet” if she will be approached to work there.
