China has so far never considered the Winter Olympics as an important sporting goal, unlike the Summer Olympics.
In order to ensure a maximum of medals at home outside of the favorite disciplines, the Chinese regime has opted for the poaching of foreign technicians.
From our special correspondent in Zangjiakou,
By beating the French Tess Ledeux on Tuesday in the big air final, the Chinese of American origin Eileen Gu certainly had to snatch a small smile of satisfaction from Xi Jinping from her (not) oval office in the center of Beijing. .
One only had to see the people massed in the Big Air Shougang press room after her victory to understand how much the 18-year-old girl carries the hopes of an entire nation.
Because, if China, sure of its all-terrain power for centuries to come, has nothing left to prove to the world - unlike the 2008 Olympics, when it still wanted to make a good figure in the concert of nations - it is nonetheless determined not to pass for a turkey in the medal table, for the moment well secured to the lead car of the best nations (5th place with 5 podiums including three gold medals).
The communist regime can therefore aim to achieve the best performance in its history at the Winter Olympics, far ahead of the 9 medals collected four years ago in Pyeongchang (16th place).
For a country usually not very fond of winter sports, except in a few disciplines on ice such as skating or short-track, it is an understatement to say that there was a lot of work.
Beat all 9 medals of 2018
In this Olympic perspective, however, an element has nevertheless come to stop the dynamics and curb the ambitions of the regime.
Of course, we want to talk about the Covid.
By choosing a drastic health policy and closing its borders to the whole world, China has not been able to fully achieve its sporting ambition.
Specialist in winter sports, our colleague Christophe Lemaire assures us, "with the virus, they have almost disappeared from the landscape in competition".
"In the end, their hopes are based on their usual strengths: short-track, figure skating, freestyle skiing, curling... China is non-existent in traditional snow sports, even if it will be represented almost everywhere at the Olympics", analysis- he.
At first, she then did what any ambitious person with deep pockets does in this kind of situation: she lined up the two guys to poach the crème de la crème in the disciplines she deemed worthy of interest, such as Qatari PSG with Carlo Ancelotti, in his time.
For biathlon, for example, the sports authorities went to poach the middle GOATs, the Norwegian Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and his 13 Olympic medals on the clock, the Russian Darya Domracheva (6 medals at the Winter Olympics) and the French shooting specialist Jean-Pierre Amat.
Even if this does not guarantee immediate success, as we have seen recently at bibi.
In L'
Equipe
, the same Amat hallucinated at the level and degree of involvement of Chinese biathletes, to the point of wondering if they had not been bombarded on skis with the rifle screwed to their temples.
The money?
“It was no limit, even if they know the prices of everything”
Under contract with the Beijing regime to coach the pair of ice skaters Sui Venjung and Han Cong, the coach of Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, Romain Haguenauer confirms this radical sports strategy.
“They did that in a lot of sports, including skating.
It's Chinese style, I want to say: they arrive, they have the means and they only want the best of the best.
With me they were very clear "You are the best coach in the world at the moment, we want you to train our couple".
Headhunters have even tried to get him exclusive, asking him to drop his duo forever and pack his bags for Beijing.
“No way,” he replies.
Romain Haguenauer will however make the effort to send them one of his coaches from the Montreal Academy for two and a half months.
The Chinese have to get their money's worth.
Because on the side of the wallet, Xi Jinping and his friends were not looking well.
It's quite the opposite.
Haguenauer: “Without going into details, let's say there was no problem, it was no limit in quotes.
Let's say that when you negotiate something with them, it's very professional, very supervised, they know the prices of everything, but basically in the end they always give money.
They even tend to offer more than what is asked of them!
".
In another style, Eileen Gu was also entitled to the red carpet (or green, it depends) by officially joining the coco team in 2019. Although she has always denied having made this choice for the money, the one -ci has been offered fabulous sponsorship contracts with several large national companies, such as China Mobile, Anta Sports and the online commerce giant JD.com.
Uncompromising on doping
But if they extend the currency to attract the best in certain winter sports, the authorities also expect a constant commitment.
And unfailing probity.
To put it roughly, it is out of the question to play it like Putin's buddy during the Sochi Olympics in 2014, with great blows of institutionalized doping.
"Our delegation is aiming for the best performance at the Winter Games, while ensuring the absence of doping cases," Ni Huizhong, secretary general of the Chinese Winter Olympic Delegation, told the official agency. Xinhua.
Our athletes will show their sportsmanship and respect the rules and health measures.
»
“There is a real desire for everything to be clean on the issue of doping, confirms Haguenaeur.
But as often, it is pushed to the extreme.
An example: “In the Chinese National Skating Center in Beijing, they are so afraid of doping that they have banned coffee for their athletes!
When we sent our coach there, we had to negotiate in the contract for him to have access to coffee.
Well, to be doped with coffee, you really have to drink a lot of it (laughs)!
And beyond that, the athletes are checked regularly, the officials inspect the rooms to check that they are not doing anything wrong.
We are really the opposite of what was done in Russia.
With fewer medals in the end, no doubt, but more likely that they will not disappear from the rewards table after investigation.
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Olympics 2022: These French who represent these unlikely nations where it does not snow
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Olympic Games 2022: How Tess Ledeux got her figure stolen, and the gold with it, on the Big Air
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Figure skating
China
Biathlon
Winter sport
Winter Olympics 2022
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