Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Amélie Oudéa-Castéra and Claude Onesta promise “exceptional results”

Amélie Oudéa-Castera veut croire à des JO réussis pour les athlètes tricolores. MAXPPP – Vincent Isore

Cet été, les athlètes tricolores viseront le Top 5 au tableau des médailles des Jeux Olympiques.

The Minister of Sports and the Olympic Games, Amélie Oudéa-Castera, maintained the "demanding" to climb to the top 5 in the world at the Paris Olympics while Claude Onesta, boss of the French high level, promised Friday "exceptional results" during a press conference on high performance.

"The ambition of the top 5 is obviously demanding,” declared the minister from the Marcel Cachin high school in Saint-Ouen, which adjoins the Olympic village and will be used by the French from "house of high performance" during the Olympics. They will be able to train there with an extended staff.

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“It would be premature to predict a rank (more precise than the Top 5, editor's note) for France in the medal table because many uncertainties remain," she added. This top 5 in the world, an objective stated for two years, means winning 16 gold medals, compared to 10 at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, detailed the minister, in particular alongside Claude Onesta, boss of high performance at the National Sports Agency (ANS) and David Lappartient president of the French Olympic committee.

15 titles in Atlanta, the record

The record for France is 15 titles at the Atlanta Olympics. According to statistics presented on Friday, a host country generally multiplies by between "1.5 and 2.3" his titles, which corresponds to the objective of reaching the top 5. For the Paralympic Games, "the step is considerable" because it takes 15 additional titles, she also specified, to join the top 5.

"Doubling the number of titles and joining the Top 8 will already be an exceptional achievement,” she said. Claude Onesta, former successful French handball coach, recalled that some 650 athletes were currently part of the circle of athletes most followed and helped.

560 qualifying athletes

Around 560 athletes are eligible for the Olympic Games and 260 for the Paralympic Games at present, knowing that France as host country benefits from quotas. "We will achieve exceptional results", predicted Claude Onesta. "It’s not a crazy dream," he added.

David Lappartient, president of the French Olympic committee (CNOSF), also recalled that "two thirds of the spectators will be French", which will help fuel "home advantage& quot;, that is to say the advantage of playing at home. "We have to succeed from the start of the Games so that the first medals lead to the next ones", he pleaded.

The National Sports Agency (ANS) through its "Winning in France" has been working on this issue for months. This involves, for example, ensuring that athletes can train on the equipment that will be used for the Olympics.