Paris (AFP)

The vice-president of the French Football Federation (FFF), Brigitte Henriques, received the support of fifteen federations, including those of skiing, rugby or gymnastics, in her race for the election to the presidency. of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) scheduled for June, she announced Tuesday.

These supports displayed in a statement to the candidate dubbed by outgoing president Denis Masseglia, who had estimated in January that she "would make a very good president", are the first to be made public.

Vice-president of the CNOSF, Ms. Henriques formalized her candidacy at the end of January.

She was recently re-elected on the list taken by Noël Le Graet to the FFF.

She faces two other candidates for the presidency of the CNOSF, Patrice Martin, ex-world champion of water skiing, and Emmanuelle Bonnet-Oulaldj, from amateur sport, co-president of the Sports and Gymnastics Federation of Labor ( FSGT).

According to a source close to the CNOSF, the latter enjoys the support of "ten federations" which have not yet been made public.

Ms. Henriques already benefits from the support of a dozen Olympic federations, with basketball, rugby, cycling and even volleyball, and three other non-Olympic federations, such as the base -ball or dance.

"Some federations are still waiting before deciding because there are potentially other candidates who could apply," assured this source close to the CNOSF.

According to several sources, the president of the sailing federation (FFV) Nicolas Hénard, former double Olympic champion, and the former judoka and Olympic champion Thierry Rey could embark on the battle.

Hénard is already a candidate for his own succession to the FFV, whose elections are scheduled for Saturday, March 27.

Amateur sport, which has nearly 17 million licensees in sports federations, is going through, like other sectors, a serious crisis, with a 30% drop in the number of licenses registered at the start of the school year.

Since its creation in 1972, the CNOSF has never elected a woman as president.

© 2021 AFP