Martin Fourcade, Président de la Commission des Athlètes, à propos du rôle des athlètes à Paris 2024

-The Paris 2024 Athletes’ Commission harnesses its experience to ensure all teams understand athletes’ needs, providing its input on a wide range of areas, including the Olympic Village, transport and security. We’re heavily involved in the Village at the moment, particularly when it comes to mobility for Paralympic athletes and catering. Our goal is to ensure all teams reap the benefits of our experience.

We’re working on the Athletes’ Village at the moment and we want the athletes to feel at home during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We’re creating a village designed by athletes for athletes, so we’re looking for innovative solutions that are that little bit different from previous years, particularly when it comes to catering – there’ll be a much wider range of choices than at previous editions of the Games, offering a unique athlete experience.

I would’ve loved to have been able to take part in the Games in my own country – it’s the experience of a lifetime, in my opinion. Experiencing the world’s most impressive sporting event on your doorstop must be a source of motivation for a great deal of athletes in France.

Each time the Olympic and Paralympic Games take place, you can tell the whole host country is brimming with excitement and its athletes are bursting with energy. I remember speaking to Russian athletes about it in Sochi. Competing on home turf with the entire country behind you must be quite a special feeling.