Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Bagnolais Philippe Eysseric, Olympic volunteer, “it’s a child’s dream!”

Depuis dix ans, le Bagnolais Philippe Eysseric est entraîneur au Bagnols Marcoule Athlétisme. Cécile Bodarwé

À 60 ans, le Bagnolais Philippe Eysseric est l’un des 45 000 volontaires des JO de Paris. Pour l’entraîneur au Bagnols Marcoule Athlétisme, cette sélection est le résultat de l’engagement de toute une vie.

On July 18, the coach for the BMA (Bagnols Marcoule Athletics) young athletes' throwing will wear a different jersey than the one he has been wearing for ten years. On that day, Philippe Eysseric from Bagnolais will indeed collect his accreditation and his 2024 Olympic volunteers' uniform in Paris before going to the Olympic village on July 21, where he will be a volunteer during the games (July 26-August 11), before going to the Stade de France to take care of the Paralympic Games (August 28-September 8).

“On the 24th, the qualification of the athletes will begin and on the 26th, it's the opening ceremony!" recalls this barely sixty-year-old, Eyes full of stars. "Going to the Olympics is a childhood dream" so what does he notice around him, "young people today do not necessarily understand the importance of the Olympics. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, the last time there were summer games in France, it was in 1924, so we won't see the next ones…"

"The commitment of a lifetime"

Before applying, he had cherished the dream of being a judge at the Olympics,"I was a throwing judge before being a coach. But to be taken at that level, you needed a lot of background. The step was too high". Last year, he answered a questionnaire to join the big Olympic family as a volunteer. Since then, he has followed distance training.

According to him, his selection is the result of "a lifelong commitment", for my sporting skills, in adapted sports too, and linguistics, "I have done a lot of traveling as part of the twinning committee, I speak English, German, a few words of ;rsquo;Spanish, Hungarian, Flemish…" he explains.

Such an adventure is prepared in advance. "When in 2017, there was no longer any doubt that Paris was officially selected to organize the Olympics, I said to myself: I must be part of it " remembers this sports enthusiast, who, during his life, practiced many.

The pre-retiree was selected from 300,000 candidates to join the ranks of some 45,000 volunteers, without whom the great Olympic celebration could not take place. "We have to find accommodation ourselves. Only travel within Île-de-France is supported" recalls the Bagnolais who is lucky to have family to accommodate him. Her sister, too, is among the volunteers, "in human resources".

"Reserve duty"

The missions of Bagnolais, from July 17 to August 11, will be of several orders, "I will be at the technical information center. I will help manage the information given to participants, athletes, judges, delegations. And also list requests for compulsory anti-doping tests in the event of records. In the specifications, discretion is included. " If we witness something, o we don't say anything and we don't bother the champions. I was a civil servant, I know the duty of discretion!" he smiles.

At the Olympic village, the Gardois will meet the champions he admires, "I will see the gods of the stadium!& ;quot;, as former decathlon champion Alain Blondel, member of the organization.

Beyond the beauty of sport, the Olympic Games convey humanist values ​​that Philippe Eysseric shares. "Sport for me is respect for others. This’is the Olympic Truce. In ancient times, the Greeks stopped making war. He takes the example of the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022: "The end of the games was on February 20, Putin invaded Ukraine on the 24… This is no coincidence.

Bagnols-sur-Cèze, town labeled Land of Play 2024

The town of Bagnols-sur-Cèze is labeled “Terre de jeux 2024”, a label intended for local communities or sporting movements that have wished to get involved in the’ rsquo;adventure of the Olympics. In this context, the city has organized various sporting events with activities to discover Olympic disciplines throughout the year.

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