The legendary ex-player of the French handball team, Jackson Richardson, and the ex-paratennis champion Mickaël Jéremiasz were inducted on Wednesday heads of mission of the French team delegation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games of Paris in 2024, announced the Olympic committee during a press conference on Wednesday.
The 54-year-old former handball player, world champion in 1995 and 2001, voted best player in the world in 1995, and bronze medalist at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona was notably the flag bearer of the French delegation at the Olympic Games in Athens. in 2004.
“It’s something great to bring my experience and my experience as an athlete,” welcomed the former handball player, alongside the new president of the French Olympic Committee David Lappartient.
Usually, the role of head of mission is vested in an “experienced federal”, explained David Lappartient. They will be in charge of “cohesion”, he said. Their “role” will be “less operational and more emblematic”, added Marie-Amélie Le Fur, president of the French Paralympic Committee (CPSF).
During the Olympic Games, for example, they will be able to play the role of “spokesperson” and “ambassador”, summed up Mickaël Jéremiasz, Olympic champion in doubles para-tennis in Beijing in 2008. He too has extensive Olympic experience since he been on the podium four times (silver in doubles and bronze in singles in 2004, gold in Beijing in doubles in 2008, and bronze in London in doubles in 2012), and flag bearer in Rio in 2016.
After his career as a player, notably spent in Vitrolles, Chambéry and Pamplona (Spain), Jackson Richardson, a native of Reunion, considered an artist with the ball in hand, began a coaching career in 2015 in Dijon until 2018. He was also Gabon coach from 2017 to 2018.
Jackson Richardson will participate in the seminar for heads of mission of foreign Olympic committees which takes place from Friday for several days in Paris.
