Become “sustainably” in the top 5 countries with the most medals at the Olympics. After the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – where the Blues managed to score big (64 Olympic medals, 75 Paralympic medals) – the National Sports Agency (ANS) this Tuesday revealed its ambition to reach the highest level, by 2030. With the desire to expand its tailor-made support, carried out before the Games at home.
“Paris 2024 is a starting point and not an ending point. What we want is to ensure that every athlete can achieve their best performance on the day, and also on Olympic day,” said Yann Cucherat, who replaced Claude Onesta as high performance manager.
About 114 million is intended for high levels
If discussions on the finance bill continue, the top level should benefit in the same way as in previous years, namely a fund of €114 million, although Sports Minister Marina Ferrari’s desire to restore access to sports tickets from the age of 6 could impact funds earmarked for clubs and/or the top level.
To “build a culture of victory” and “prepare new generations for future victories” – in Yann Cucherat’s words – special programs for athletes and coaches were renewed. With a specific target: the athletes most likely to shine during the 2030 Winter Olympics, in the French Alps, who, as in 2024, will benefit from a fund of €6 million in dedicated support.
€20,000 for aspiring athletes
“To make 2024 a success, we had to change the model (the ANS was created in 2019), sometimes with relative diplomacy, due to lack of time,” admitted Yann Cucherat. Today, most federations are grateful to us, because we also helped them make a choice, which is sometimes not easy. From now on, if high-performing units are in charge, work will be more collaborative, as everyone understands the challenges and the importance of more targeted support. We also set a long-term vision, so that the Federation can plan ahead. » Therefore, there is no question of giving up disciplines that are not in the Olympics in their home country, the idea is “to support them so that they will be there in a short time”, explains the manager.
This high-performance cell has also undergone a change in scale and is now aimed at supporting the younger generation. Since 2019, a large project has been implemented so that athletes, capable of winning medals in Paris, have annual resources of at least €40,000. A system that the Lebrun brothers, for example, have greatly benefited from with the success we know.
“Perf cell” continues and assistance is provided. Therefore, “radar athletes”, who do not (yet) meet the criteria, but whose potential has been identified for the 2028 Olympic Games and the 2030 Olympic Games, will be supported by €30,000. Young people, who often only join the scheme when they are older, will be able to receive resources of up to €20,000, through a new unit, “Ambition 2028-2030”.
In total, this device, which allows more products to be custom-made, will benefit a thousand high-level athletes. “My hope is to expand the base of supported athletes, so that we have a more solid base and can really plan for the long term,” explained Yann Cucherat.
