Bayrou Government: who is Marie Barsacq, very involved in the Paris Olympics, appointed Minister of Sports?

Exit Gil Avérous. Make way for Marie Barsacq. After the mayor of Châteauroux, who held this position for three months, it is a personality from civil society who arrives at the head of the Ministry of Sports in the government of François Bayrou, revealed Monday at the end of the day . And more precisely of the organizing committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, of which she was one of the leaders, in charge of the impact and legacy.

Little surprise among the new arrivals in the executive on the eve of Christmas Eve, Marie Barsacq began her career at the French National Olympic and Sports Committee. The trained lawyer notably took care of human resources, rising to the position of deputy general director of the CNOSF.

She also worked at the French Football Federation, the largest in the country in terms of its number of members. Member of the executive committee of the body during the presidency of Noël Le Graët, she took charge of the amateur football file. But it is his action within Cojo which today has earned him attention at the top of the State.

A member of the Paris 2024 adventure since the French capital's candidacy, Marie Barsacq has been involved in numerous issues linked to the legacy of the Olympic Games. This mother of four daughters, married to the journalist from the France Télévisions sports department in charge of rugby Cédric Beaudou, pushed the “30 minutes of daily physical activity at school” system, designed to combat the sedentary lifestyle of the youngest . She also relaunched Olympic Week, an initiative also intended to promote the place of sport in schools.

Its role was also to involve French SMEs in the Olympics. But also not to forget the legacy of the Paralympic Games. “Everyone has taken a step towards accessibility,” she said at the end of September, speaking to France Info. Marie Barsacq then left Paris 2024 in October. Since then, the one who escaped by swimming worked for the International Olympic Committee.

Her profile made her credible to occupy a major position at the National Sports Agency, or ultimately take charge of the CNOSF. In any case, nothing destined her to turn to politics. Monday evening, the person concerned was the first surprise of this appointment.

His arrival at the head of the Ministry of Sports constitutes a small signal, while several criticisms are beginning to mount on the legacy, considered too weak, of the Olympic Games in France in society. Marie Barsacq will also have to reassure a sports world worried about the financial disengagement of the State after the Games. And position himself on one of the burning issues of his predecessor, excesses in football stadiums.