By Guillaume K. | Sports journalist
Little known before the Paris Olympic Games, Léon Marchand is today a true superstar. And following an announcement from the Ministry of National Education, he did not hesitate to use his popularity to send a strong message.
When we organize a major competition in France, we tend to believe that it will bring a profound change to our society and our relationship to sport. For example, the Women's Football World Cup in 2019 should allow the discipline to experience real growth, both in its media coverage and in the number of licensees… A hope quickly lost.
But for the Paris Olympic Games, it was not just a federation that was involved, it was the government as a whole. Because the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron had announced his desire to see the French delegation in the Top 5 of medals, he had to put in place strong measures to support his athletes and prepare for the future.
Léon Marchand disappointed by the government
Unfortunately, just a few months after the cauldron was extinguished, some are already shattered, even though they were praised by all those involved in these Games. For example, 2 hours of sport were to be added in all middle schools in France, which will ultimately not be the case. A government announcement which made Léon Marchand react on his X account:
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Hero of the Olympic Games, Léon Marchand openly regrets the decision of the Ministry of National Education to give up these two additional hours of sport in middle schools. An unsurprising reaction from a swimmer who left for the United States to be able to put sport and studies on an equal footing…
Across the Atlantic, and this is also what explains the domination of Americans in many disciplines, physical activity occupies a large part of school time. An organization that makes it possible to detect high potential, guide them into the right discipline, and years later, win gold medals. In any case, the teachers appreciate these words:
@BenLebarbier : Léon president. (we were still made fun of, but we knew it…) Thanks for the support in any case! ❤️
France wants to be a sporting country, but in fact, everything leads us to believe the opposite. The proof: a few months after the Olympic Games, the government is already returning to a strong measure…
