Marie Barsacq, new Minister of Sports in the Bayrou government

Marie Barsacq, who was a member of the organizing committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, was named Minister of Sports on Monday with, among her main files, the preparation of the 2030 Winter Olympic Games in the French Alps.

At 51, this trained lawyer succeeds the mayor of Châteauroux Gil Avérous, appointed in September in the government of Michel Barnier, and before him Amélie Oudéa-Castéra.

François Bayrou maintained a full ministry for Sports. Marie Barsacq will also take care of youth and community life.

Unknown to the general public, she spent most of her career in French sporting institutions, at the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) and the French Football Federation (FFF). Since 2016, she has been executive director responsible for the impact and legacy of Paris-2024.

In her new position, in addition to managing the legacy of the Paris Games, she will also have to provide the main directions for the 2030 Games. The Olympic and Paralympic world is impatiently awaiting the appointment of the leadership of the organizing committee (Cojop) assigned to the French Alps.

The end of the designation process was postponed “towards the end of January”, a source close to the negotiations told AFP in mid-December, with the underlying hypothesis of a ticket associating Martin Fourcade with Michel Barnier.

Among the other files, she will also be expected on tensions in the football stands and homophobic chants still coming down from the stands, issues which have made the news again in recent months.

In addition to the Games, sports federations are also in the process of renewing their management.

The 2025 budget prepared by the Barnier government but censored should have significantly reduced the credits granted to sport, while maintaining those for the high level.