FRENCH YOUTH POLICIES
The French, like spectators from around the world, had the opportunity to get to know Léon Marchand during the Paris Olympic Games in the summer of 2024, from which he emerged the big winner. The 22-year-old swimmer, who has won five Olympic medals, including four gold, is a very discreet young man. Although we do not know details about his private life, or his political positions, he nevertheless dared to make a subtle comment on his social networksfollowing a government announcement relating to the encouragement of sports practice for young adolescents. Here’s what you need to know.
Léon Marchand experiences notoriety quite well
The young 22-year-old Olympic champion achieved extremely rapid notoriety during the last Olympic Games. Indeed, while he had led a normal life until then, he had to learn to find techniques to be able to go out without being spotted by fans or photographers. He spoke to the magazine The Team : “I can’t go out to restaurants like this anymore. I need to organize myself a little morebeing with people, I can’t do my shopping alone… I put on a cap and glasses, I try to hide a little. I’m not very recognizable so usually that’s enough“However, where some would have difficulty with this flash notoriety, the young man seems to take the situation rather well, as he tells it: “I got used to it quite quickly in the end, even if the first weeks were difficult, because it’s a fairly radical change in status.“.
Following its participation in the Paris Olympic Games, which captivated millions of spectators and television viewers around the world, Léon Marchand has increased his speaking engagementsalthough he appears uncomfortable in public. A sequence during his appearance on the show Daily notably got Internet users talking, who criticized columnist Maïa Mazaurette because of a question related to sexuality.
Léon Marchand attacks the government on
The young 22-year-old swimmer, usually reserved when questioned on questions relating to politics, as well as on questions relating to his private and especially relational life, nevertheless spoke out on his account X (formerly Twitter) following an announcement from the government of Emmanuel Macron, led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Indeed, two years ago, the president announced the possibility for certain middle school students to have two hours of additional physical and sporting activity, with the aim of “build a sporting nation“, as he explained in September 2023, only a few months before the Paris Olympic Games. While the initiative had been welcomed by many athletes, who believe that France does not encourage the practice of sport from a very young agelike Olympic champion Teddy Riner, the measure was finally abandoned.
In a circular published on November 7, 2024, the ministry in charge of sports effectively explained that this measure was “still perceived as complex to implement“. This decision was not well received by Léon Marchand, who could not help but react. Indeed, this Thursday, November 14, the young man, although discreet about his life, shared the publication of the newspaper The Teamwhich announced the withdrawal of the measure, to which he added a simple emoji representing a clown, without further comment.
Sources used:
The Team / X
Related News :