This is one of the questions that agitates the microcosm of French sport as the Olympic Games approach: who will be the standard bearer of the French delegation in Paris during the opening ceremony? In an interview with the newspaper Le Monde, basketball player Rudy Gobert declared himself a candidate.
“Of course I’m applying, I’ve always dreamed of it and it would be an incredible honor. I have always devoted myself to the French team and this would be a new way of representing the country,” confided the pivot of the Blues to the 100 selections. Aged 31, Gobert has already participated in the Olympics in 2016 (Rio de Janeiro) and 2021 (Tokyo). He won the silver medal in Tokyo after France’s defeat in the final against the United States.
Gobert is one of the greatest basketball players in French history. He also has two bronze medals at the World Cup (2014, 2019) and one silver at the Euro (2022). Picard, Minnesota Timberwolves player, is, behind Tony Parker, the most successful Frenchman in the NBA, with three All-Star Game selections and above all three Defender of the Year trophies (2018, 2019 and 2021).
Other athletes have already publicly mentioned their wish to be standard bearer at the 2024 Olympics, including basketball player Sandrine Gruda and BMX rider Joris Daudet. The swimmer Florent Manaudou or the decathlete Kevin Mayer are also tracks. But also the boxer Estelle Mossely. Judoka Teddy Rinner and his colleague Clarisse Agbégnénou already know that they cannot be chosen due to the criteria, which exclude athletes who have already had this role in the past.