INTERVIEW. “It’s easy to make fun of others, less of yourself…” Nelson Monfort in Toulouse this weekend confides

Why did you agree to be the sponsor of this Race of Lights?

Nelson Monfort. It was the chance of a meeting: the one with Professor Gilles Favre in February. I accepted, because it is a very beautiful action. A “Race of Lights” to fight cancer lives up to its name very well. It has a connection to sport and with the Olympic year almost coming to an end, that pushed me to say yes.

Will you lead entertainment during the race?

I'm going to do a bit of what I usually do on the air: give the start, be present at the finish. But also do interviews with the winners. I think it will amuse the participants and spectators.

You are ambassador of the city of Albi, you come to Toulouse. So you are attached to our region?

I love it very much and I have lots of memories there. I am also a great lover of the painting of Toulouse-Lautrec, and of his era. A year and a half ago, the women's Tour de France passed through Albi. During the stage, an aerial image of this absolutely magnificent city was broadcast. In the commentary, during the heritage section of the Tour de France, I said very naturally: “We are flying over the most beautiful city in the world!” The town hall reacted very quickly and offered me the opportunity to become an ambassador.

In recent years, you have released a book, you are performing in a play. You are on all fronts, even cultural ones.

I never liked being typecast. It's not because I'm a sports journalist that I'm not capable of doing something else. I also signed up to join the “Vivement Dimanche” team, which is not a sports program. I can talk about cinema, music, theater… which are also passions.

Your book is called “Olympic Memories”. Was it important to relive and revive the great moments of sport?

It's not just a sports book. I talk a lot about behind the scenes, because I was able to experience things in a very privileged way. I wanted this book to be pleasant and cheerful, but certain sporting episodes were tragic, and we must remember that. There are times when sport meets history. I don't want to sound pretentious, but I feel like I've written a history book.

You are going on tour starting in January with the piece “Ca patine à Tokyo”. Why did you accept this new challenge?

People really need to laugh right now. And surely thanks to my Anglo-Saxon roots, I really appreciate self-deprecation. It's easy enough to make fun of others, but it's less easy to make fun of yourself. I find that, in this room, I do. But I do it systematically in life. Those who know me know this. It's also an opportunity to reunite with my duo with Philippe Candeloro, who has become a little brother over time. We will play around thirty times until April.

Do you have other plans for 2025?

In a year and a half, the Winter Olympic Games will open in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. I'm thinking about another “Olympic Memories” book about the Winter Olympics. It's still just a project. But having commented on skating for 25 years, I tell myself that I can be legitimate.