Romain Barras, head of the French team, regrets “inappropriate behavior” of certain athletes

The head of the French athletics team has put his athletes back in their place in a letter, urging them to remain “humble” and to “show themselves worthy” of their selection.

The high performance director of the French Athletics Federation (FFA), Romain Barras, sent a message to French athletes, regretting the “inappropriate behaviors” on their part at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and asking them to “transcend”, AFP learned, confirming information from L’EquipeFrance has yet to win a medal in athletics, and is counting mainly on Cyréna Samba-Mayela (100m hurdles) and Gabriel Tual (800m) to reach the podium.

“I would like to congratulate all those who held their rank, who gave their guts, and showed their best face to the French public”begins Romain Barras in this message that AFP was able to consult, while Rénelle Lamote (5th in the 800 m) and Alice Finot (4th in the 3,000 m steeplechase) won nice places, while Clément Ducos can hope for a medal in the final of the 400 m hurdles.

“Nevertheless, we saw some inappropriate behavior for champions in the context of an Olympic Games at home”he continues, before scolding: “You didn’t make all these sacrifices to qualify for the Paris Olympics just to be taken in by the crowd!” The atmosphere at the Stade de France has been praised by all athletes, French and foreign, since the start of the competition. But it has not yet been enough for the Tricolores to win a medal, which would certainly have been an achievement in the disciplines whose finals have passed.

“A selection is not a rewardwarns Romain Barras. Show yourself worthy. […] Enjoy, but stay humble in victory as in defeat, respect yourself and respect the people who have invested themselves so that you are up to the event. Take advantage of the atmosphere to transcend yourself, repeat what you do best with that little extra something given by the public.” Contacted by AFP, the French Athletics Federation indicated that Romain Barras did not wish “no comment” a “internal communication”.