“We need a vision that places physical activity at the heart of people’s lives, from schools to nursing homes.” – Libération

2024-08-18 07:00:00

Maxime Sauvage, national secretary of the PS in charge of sports and first deputy in the city hall of the 20th district, who works on the post-Olympic and Paralympic games, wants to continue their legacy through policies public and effective.

“The spirit of these Olympic Games must not be bracketed”recalled Maxime Sauvage in mid-August in a press release signed with Olivier Faure. Opportunity for the elected representative of the 20th district to protect the importance of physical activities and sports and the necessary methods for their development.

How to proceed Legacy of JOPs and their enthusiasm for the sport?

The fervor was specific to the event, it will subside that is for sure. But there will be more people who want to play sports. We will be able to welcome them and convince them to commit for a long time. What worries me is that it is too late to be able to welcome all the new participants who will be knocking on the doors of sports clubs. We will have to make up for the unexpected. The state must wake up.

What public policies should be developed to encourage the practice of physical activities and sports?

There are two things: we must make it easy to exercise and make sure that when people start physical activity and exercise, they do so over time. This starts with the number of hours PE is taught per week at school. It is also linked to the development of sports facilities: swimming pools, gyms, sports, climbing walls… And this is in all areas, whether in large rural areas, in urban areas abroad, or in important areas of the city. We must also support families, especially the most vulnerable. We need a vision that places physical activity at the heart of people’s lives, from schools to nursing homes.

How can the left address the issue?

The only program that talked about sports during the early legislative elections was that of the New Popular Front. And to finance it, we want to increase the budget of the Ministry of Sports by 1%, against 0.2% today. In order to develop sports practice, it is proposed to build 10,000 new pieces of equipment and invest in the renovation of the existing infrastructure, especially in terms of energy. We also want to promote sanitation for women, whether in public or domestic infrastructure, and for people with disabilities. We also want to focus on catering services so that there is enough staff to accommodate the athletes. As for school, we will make it mandatory to play sports for four hours a week, from CP to the final year.