We chose this morning on France Bleu Occitanie to tell you about the Winter Olympics, which start in less than two weeks in Beijing with very few athletes from our Pyrenees to discuss it. The president of the Ski Pyrénées committee is your guest, Clémence Fulda.
Hello Michel Bertranuc. Out of 87 French athletes, only one is licensed in the Pyrenees. It is the skier Perrine Laffont. How do you explain it?
It is an observation that we have made, we have a lot of difficulties at the level of the Pyrenees to keep our best athletes. So we are working on it. But unfortunately the playgrounds are more easily exploitable on the Alpine massif. And our “Pyrenean Perrine”, unfortunately, is the only one who will represent us at the Beijing Olympics.
It is hoped that she will win a second Olympic gold medal, as she has already done. You say, we can’t keep the skiers. It’s just a matter of infrastructure. And how do you try to change that?
So, of course, we are working. We have on Font-Romeu a France snowboard center, especially in freestyle. Of course, there is alpine skiing in all the Pyrenees, but unfortunately from a certain level, young people who want to break through to the highest level choose to go to the Alps. We can’t keep them. Of course, we are working on it. Today we have only one member of the French alpine ski team who has remained from the Pyrenees, who is still licensed at the club of Peyragudes. Others are in the France team too, but unfortunately they have chosen to migrate to the Alps, and to clubs in the Alpine Massif.
Should the public authorities give you more resources?
It is quite obvious that we must be helped. Even if the trend seems to be going in the right direction at the moment, especially the National Syndicate of Pyrenean Instructors which helps us quite a bit, the ski areas of France Pyrenees who also help us. We seem to be leaning in the right direction, but it’s still complicated, knowing that the highest level competitions are still in the Alps. So it generates enormous travel costs for us and fatigue for the athletes who will run on the alpine massifs. It’s a whole host of things that make it difficult for us to play at the same level as the young people who are in the alpine clubs.
And organizing, for example, competitions precisely in our Pyrenees, that would be possible. You want?
Sure. In the Pyrenees we have the capacity to organize high level competitions. Font Romeu held a Freestyle World Cup in early January. There was to be another event also of freestyle snowboarding on the Quillane but it could not be done for the reasons you know (pandemic editor’s note). Peyragudes organized the French championships a few years ago. So we are able to do it, but it’s always the same, it’s still quite difficult. Many stations play the game, others a little less well. It can be understood since the clientele is there, it must also be satisfied. Anyway, we’re working on it. And of course the public authorities, the region and the departments also help us but it remains insufficient since in particular on the move it represents a lot of expenses.
Have you quantified this need that you have today?
It is always difficult to quantify. According to the seasons, according to the potential of kids who arrive at the top level. So, of course, the more the better. We also have big difficulties in finding partners or sponsors since here skiing is not necessarily the first sport, when you play rugby and a certain number of high-level sports opposite, it is difficult to obtain aid.
And we imagine that the Games, precisely, are a means. A real spotlight for you to promote winter sports. Do you expect, for example, to have more ski licensees?
After last year when we fell from 9000 and some licensees at 4500. We were forced to reduce certain operating costs last year already, there it seems to be going well. There is a new craze that is happening. We are waiting for the end of winter to take stock. But it’s still complicated.
Is skiing on the coast because we may tend to tell ourselves in a false way that people may be moving more towards snowshoes with the Covid precisely, or are people not and especially the children, maybe our future champions, are starting to ski right now?
There is still the same enthusiasm for skiing and of course, snowshoeing and ski touring have taken off tremendously. Again this weekend, there were a lot of people in the Pyrenean resorts. And of course, there is always a passion for skiing, and young people always want to become competitors and reach the top level.