The world of sport denounces “a glaring injustice” and opposes the planned budget cuts

It is an understatement to say that the greeting ceremony, Wednesday January 22, at the Maison du sport français, in Paris, was awaited. In a context of sharp budget reduction, the government’s desire, through an amendment on January 16, to reduce the envelope allocated to sports by some 34 million additional euros was on everyone’s minds.

In front of a packed amphitheater, the president of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), David Lappartient, reiterated his “total incomprehension » faced with the new envisaged cut. “We are ready to agree to the general effort but it’s all a question of proportions, and there they are not respected”he underlined, arguing for an amendment “posed by unphased people”. “We are behind you, Madam Minister, so that the budget is up to par”he added to the Minister of Sports, Youth and Community Life, Marie Barsacq, present in the room.

“How can we accept this after the summer we had? “, added Marie-Amélie Le Fur, president of the Paralympic Committee (CPSF) and new president of the National Sports Agency, the armed arm of the State in matters of public sports policies. “The government is on the wrong track, these budget cuts are nonsense”she added, speaking of“a glaring injustice for French sport” and asking Marie Barsacq to make the voice of sport heard in Matignon.

Cheers in the room; around twenty people leaving the CNOSF amphitheater before the minister’s intervention. The action was approved by the CNOSF board of directors earlier in the day, “to mark our dissatisfaction”explained to AFP Eric Tanguy, boss of the French volleyball federation.

“The arbitrations are not finalized”

Invited to speak, Marie Barsacq reaffirmed her support for the sports movement. “You will always find me by your sideshe assured. To the government, I owe solidarity; loyalty to you. » In a balancing act, the Minister of Sports had in fact presented the amendment to the senators including the additional plan of 34 million euros before qualifying this proposal as “really disproportionate”in an interview Tuesday at West France. “The arbitrations have not been finalized. We are in a phase of discussions with parliamentarians to find the right balance, I remain fully mobilized”Marie Barsacq said on Wednesday.

The minister knows she is expected. Because for a week, the world of sport has not taken off. From athletes to inter-professional organizations, including elected officials from local authorities or federation presidents, it has rarely seemed so united. Even if “the response is a little late”however regrets an informed observer of French sport.

Certainly, the government amendment was rejected on Thursday by the Senate, but it acted as a spark within an ecosystem white-hot by the drop in sports credits of 273.4 million euros (of which a little more 85 million linked to the Olympic and Paralympic Games) provided for in the 2025 finance bill – a drop of a third of the budget.

“Sabotage of living together”

A column signed by more than 6,000 sports stakeholders (elected officials, federation presidents, athletes, former sports ministers, etc.) was published in The Parisian Wednesday morning. The day before, more than 400 athletes who participated in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including Teddy Riner, Marie Patouillet and Alexis Hanquinquant, had called Emmanuel Macron, in a text published in The Teamhas “preserve the legacy of the Games”comparing the savings envisaged by the government to “sabotage of living together”.

In a statement to the sports daily, President Macron gave « raison » Wednesday to the rebellious athletes. “ We must keep our commitments and provide the means for our athletes and so that the legacy of the Games benefits everyone. », underlined the Head of State, who marks his dissonance with the government on this subject. At the end of the council of ministers, the government spokesperson, Sophie Primas, said “legitimate to return to a more reasonable low water level” after “the exceptional sequence in 2024”.

It is now up to the joint committee – made up of seven deputies and seven senators –, meeting on January 30, to decide on the volume of budget cuts which will affect the sports ministry.