In Brazil in 2016, Teddy Riner was designated as the flagbearer for France. This automatically rules him out of having a second experience for the Paris Games.
This raises one of the questions that will stir up discussions in the lead-up to the Paris Games: who will be the flagbearers for the French delegation this summer at home? A YouGov survey published on March 12 highlighted the athletes that the French would like to see designated as flagbearers for France during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris… some of whom are already ineligible.
The survey conducted for Linternaute revealed that judoka Teddy Riner is the most popular choice to uphold this Olympic tradition in Paris in a few months. Behind him, the names of Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Dupont, Florent Manaudou, Kevin Mayer, and Clarisse Agbégnénou were also popular choices.
However, on March 13, the French National Olympic Committee dashed hopes by clarifying that many of the cited athletes will not be eligible to be designated. This is due to the criteria specified on that day.
David Lappartient, President of the French National Olympic Committee, along with other officials, detailed the election procedures for the four French individuals (one man and one woman for each opening ceremony, Olympic and Paralympic) who will have the important task of carrying the French flag during the opening ceremony and representing France in the media during the competition.
An honor that will be denied to French athletes who have already been designated as flagbearers for France. This includes Teddy Riner who was the flagbearer at the 2016 Rio Olympics, as well as the gymnast Samir Aït Saïd and Clarisse Agbégnénou in Tokyo in 2021.
“Given that there is such a wealth of talent in French sports, it’s normal to have other athletes who can apply,” explained David Lappartient. This statement may not sit well with Olympic champion Clarisse Agbégnénou, who made a particularly ironic tweet about the selection criteria for flagbearers after the publication of the famous survey.
She criticized the gap between the desire of the French people, as illustrated by the survey, and the actual criteria established by “individuals working behind the scenes to impose discriminatory conditions.”
This argument gains even more significance when considering the other criteria that have been selected. Despite being expected as the headliners of these French Games, Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Dupont are automatically excluded because they have never participated in the Olympics or Paralympics. The same goes for Victor Wembanyama, who should be part of the basketball team.
Lastly, the need to “respect and embody the ethical values of Olympism” is a critical criterion. This somewhat vague condition was attempted to be clarified by David Lappartient. “We have established the principles, but we need to refine the criteria. An athlete convicted of doping offenses cannot be a flagbearer,” he responded to a question regarding cases like that of handball player Nikola Karabatic and volleyball player Earvin Ngapeth, who have been convicted of common law violations during their careers.
After meeting these criteria, athletes can submit their candidacy to their federation, which will then present them to national committees between April and late May. Then, and this is unprecedented, it will be up to the selected athletes to vote for the two men and two women who will represent them.
If there is a perfect tie, the older athlete will be elected as the flagbearer, knowing that two athletes from the same federation cannot be flagbearers together. “It’s something new and powerful. We wanted the flagbearers to be chosen by the athletes,” defended David Lappartient against criticisms.
The final step, the revelation of the candidates and the final flagbearers for France, will take place over several stages. 100 days before, on April 17, the precise date of the unveiling will finally be known, followed by a mid-June interim stage to identify the candidates selected before voting. The announcement of the flagbearers’ names should logically come in mid-July, fifteen days before the start of the Paris Games, with the opening ceremony taking place on July 26.
