2023-10-10 20:39:20
Ten years since a president of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) came to visit the installations of Insep, the wood preparation center in Vincennes which nevertheless supplies many of the French Olympic medals. Ten months before the Paris Olympic Games, David Lappartient, elected president in June, came to breathe in the atmosphere, from the dojo to the athletes’ restaurant, including the swimming pool, the weapons room and the wrestling mat.
“When you are a high-level athlete, you have dreams, you should not put limits on your dreams. It requires a daily commitment, a lot of sacrifices, explains David Lappartient, in front of dozens of judokas, gathered on the tatami mats. We, like the general public, see the fights during the Olympics or the World Championships, but few see the daily efforts that it requires. Bravo to all of you ! We are lucky to have the Games in France, everyone wants to be there, and that’s normal. We are convinced that the collective dynamic will be important, we are working on it with Insep, we know the importance of Insep for French sport. »
The head of the committee, president of the international cycling federation, shakes hands, listens to the athletes, talks about his passion for cycling. “I know less about judo,” he smiles. With Cécilia Berder, he became familiar with the saber, the epee and the foil. “We can hit with the whole blade, whereas with foil we hit with the tip,” says the sabrer. The saber is the rider’s weapon, at the time, we were on horseback and we had to preserve it, so we hit it above the belt. Saber, foil and epee are not at all the same sport, a bit like 100m, 1,500m and 5,000m. »
“What impresses me at Insep is the peaceful and serene atmosphere of the place,” underlines the president of the CNOSF. When we are in a competition, we don’t always realize the sacrifices and self-sacrifice that all this requires. Personally, I was impressed by the number of hours of training the synchronized swimmers had. What is also impressive at Insep are the material, technical and human conditions in which we put the athletes. We must place them in the best conditions, even if in the end, they are the ones who will make the difference. »
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