INTERVIEW
The World Athletics Championships in Qatar ended Sunday night, and the least we can say is that they left a bitter taste to sports fans. Stifling heat, staggered hours, air-conditioned stadiums ... all of which provoked the anger of the observers. "Beyond sports performances, the question is: 'Can we accept in the 21st century that a great international sporting event can take place in defiance of the respect of all the elementary rules, in particular the man and also the respect of the environment? "asks Régis Juanico, deputies of the Loire, on Europe 1.
"Corrupt practices"
In his viewfinder in particular, the conditions in which the athletics competition, but also the World Cup 2022 football were awarded. "What was tolerated by many of our fellow citizens today is no longer so, and in particular the fact that a country like Qatar, because it is rich, very rich, can afford, can buy major championships, and we know, including through corrupt practices, "he denounced. "At the World Athletics Championships and the awarding of the Football World Cup, there are four investigations opened by the national financial prosecutor's office, with judgments that will come as early as January 2020," he said.
Régis Juanico, also co-chair of the Assembly working group on the 2024 Olympics, even calls for a boycott of the 2022 World Cup, although he knows he is unlikely to be heard. "The question is: 'How are we launching the debate today on how to award major international sporting events?'", He explained. "We are going to organize a Football World Cup in November and December simply because the climate in Qatar is sweeter at this time, there will be eight air-conditioned, open stadiums built in such working conditions for migrant workers. There are hundreds of deaths, are we accepting that, or are we at a certain point not questioning the decisions of international sports bodies? "