Paris (AFP)

In a month, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) may have a woman at its head, a revolution in French sport.

In the meantime, they are two men and two women to run for his presidency, three years before the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024.

Thursday evening, at the headquarters of the CNOSF, the four candidates presented their program to the representatives of the federations which were renewed this year.

These are the ones who will vote, in proportion to their weight, at a general meeting on June 29th.

On the starting line, Brigitte Henriques, vice-president of the French Football Federation (FFF), which avails itself of the support of fifteen federations.

"Is the sports movement recognized at its fair value? No," she said, before detailing some of her proposals as "general status of clubs".

She was dubbed by outgoing president Denis Masseglia, who is finishing his third term.

Favorite data, this former footballer estimated with the press that it "is played until the last minute, we can always take a goal in the 95th".

Another strong candidate is former judoka and Olympic champion Thierry Rey, who recently received support from the French Tennis Federation (FTT) and the Swimming Federation.

He wants to "revalue" the action of the committee especially with the executive, he who was sports and youth advisor to François Hollande (2012-14).

In addition, he claims the presidency of the National Sports Agency (ANS) currently occupied by Michel Cadot, interministerial delegate to the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024, and intends to do a "financial audit" on his arrival.

Another female candidate, Emmanuelle Bonnet-Oulaldj, co-president of the sports and gymnastics federation of work (FSGT), a multisport federation.

It claims, under the banner "nouslesport2021", a "political vision, not in the partisan sense of the term" because "sport is the life of the city, of the citizen".

"Sport has not been taken at its fair value for decades," she added, affirming that she would demand "a budget of 1% of the nation's budget".

The former world champion in water skiing, Patrice Martin, also a candidate, pleaded for the CNOSF to "transform and open up".

"I want to save the CNOSF", he explained to the press after his presentation.

Next step: a grand oral in mid-June, two weeks before the election.

© 2021 AFP