The presentation of the Paris-2024 logo in Paris, October 21, 2019. - Thibault Camus / AP / SIPA

Should we rethink the Paris-2024 Olympic Games project in view of the current coronavirus pandemic and more generally of the current climate crisis? This is what Guy Drut, member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and former Minister of Sports, affirms in a forum published by France Info this Sunday.

Grandstand. "The Games of yesterday will not be the Games of tomorrow": the call of Guy Drut, Olympic champion and former Minister of Sports, for a more "responsible" Olympics https://t.co/XYEw8kbAVv pic.twitter. com / P6MIzSdbPj

- franceinfo (@franceinfo) April 26, 2020

“The crisis we are going through has a lasting impact on our daily lives, our way of life, our economy, our social pact, our choice of society. It cannot and must not remain without effect on the imperative necessity which makes us to reinvent ourselves. (…) The Olympic and Paralympic Games are no exception to this new context. They too must reinvent themselves, ”writes Guy Drut.

The economic and organizational model of the Games to rethink

If, in the midst of a new coronavirus pandemic, the reprogramming of the Olympics-2020 in the summer of 2021 was necessary, "can the response to this crisis be expressed by the only postponement of dates, without the Games model being so economic than organizational, is also deeply rethought? Wonders the former Minister of Sports (1995-1997) under the chairmanship of Jacques Chirac.

"The beautiful project that we built and carried in the bid phase for Paris-2024 is now obsolete, outdated, out of touch with reality," said the 1976 Olympic champion in the 110m hurdles.

Budget reassessment

“It is no longer in step with reality. If in his mind, he must remain unchanged, we must review his means, and refocus on the essential. The first necessity is to make a budgetary reassessment of what will cost the Olympics in Paris-2024, "he continues.

“The Games of yesterday will not be the Games of tomorrow. We have to accept it and imagine a new model together, ”calls Guy Drut.

“We have to rethink them to adapt them, to keep them relevant to the changing world. They will not be able to stand at any cost, disconnected from reality, on the "margins" of the world ", he adds, launching two lines of thought:" keep the unit of time with the Olympic Games which take place from such date to such date, but the unit of place and action may vary "or" the limitation of the number of additional sports on the program ".

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