The president of the organizing committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games took part in the “Past, present, future” interview on franceinfo social networks. The opportunity to better understand how your experiences inform your current life, but also your future.
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In “Past, present, future”, broadcast on franceinfo social networks, Tony Estanguet dissects the timeline of his life. From his discovery of canoeing to his first Olympic medals while passing through the presidency of the Olympic Games, the boss of the Paris 2024 Games looks back on his rise to the top of the most scrutinized event in France, discusses his news and answers questions on its future.
For Tony Estanguet, looking in the rearview mirror cannot be done without turning the paddle in reverse by focusing on his family roots in Pau. Nostalgic, he remembers that canoeing was initially a family discovery with his father and his two older brothers: “I followed the family model and I loved this sport”.
In 2000, the native of Pau qualified for his first Games in Athens against a strong opponent: his brother, Patrice. A brother-adversary relationship that allowed Tony Estanguet to spread his wings: “When your brother wins an Olympic medal, you say to yourself “I can do it”. He opened the way for me in an extraordinary way, I owe him a lot,” he concedes.
The rest of his record is well known: Tony Estanguet was crowned champion in Athens (2000), in Sydney (2004), then in London (2012). In December 2012, he decided to end his career and left his canoe behind.
Facing controversies and criticism
In 2018, Tony Estanguet’s career took a new turn as he was appointed president of the organizing committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Four years later, the person still admits that he never imagined being in this place: “I dreamed of returning to sport but I never imagined that one day I would be president of the organizing committee.”.
Tony Estanguet now takes on new responsibilities, those of a business leader who has had to step out of his comfort zone: “I didn’t know the political, media, I found myself having to speak to leading actors but I feel like I’ve stayed in my place and I don’t feel like I’m among them.”recognizes the triple Olympic champion who maintains relations with both the Head of State, Emmanuel Macron, the president of the Île-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse as well as the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
Success at the Games is not a royal road, the former Olympic champion admits that he has also learned to withstand blows and controversies. If the interview was recorded before he was targeted by an investigation into the conditions of his remuneration, Tony Estanguet concedes that “it’s part of the game” before adding that “consensus is very complicated and it is not possible to please everyone”.
“I don’t know if I’m going to stay in sport”
When discussing his future, Tony Estanguet is a little less talkative and affirmative: “I don’t know if I want to stay in sport (…) when you have organized the Games in your country, it is not necessarily easy to imagine another mission in sport that is as exciting,” he continues.
Still, the boss of Paris 2024, but also the father of the family, wants to slow down the pace: “To be honest, I want a bit of emptiness and I don’t want to remain hyperactive in the second part of my life”, he says. Before adding: “I will strive to have a break to find time for myself and mine”.
Asked about a possible future in politics and the possibility of occupying a ministerial position like other athletes before him, the former Olympic champion was more reserved: “It’s not my world and it’s not what I want to do.” even if “I have a lot of respect for those who do it [de la politique]”.