The French men’s basketball team has chosen to leave the Olympic village and follow the opening ceremony remotely. A carefully considered decision.

At the Club France in La Villette

The magic of the Olympic Games is – at least in part – this great melting pot of the village. Athletes from all walks of life meet there, exchange, from the most famous to the most anonymous. A unique emulation. And there is the ceremony, this moment that remains etched in the memories for the rest of your life. The Olympic Games, in short. The Blues of basketball have chosen to deprive themselves of it in Paris 2024 (July 26-August 11). There is already the choice of the organization, which sent the 5×5 basketball players to the North. The group stage will take place at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d’Ascq for men and women, before the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in Paris. The rest is the decision of the French Basketball Federation and the staff. A thoughtful choice.

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We wanted to be in the best conditions for training and recovery, to have all the staff with us.

Boris Diaw

“We are very well set up. We wanted to be in the best conditions for training and recovery, to have all the staff with us. This allows us to have facilities for training schedules.”summarizes Boris Diaw, general manager of the French men’s team. Indeed, you have to show your credentials to train when you are in the traditional fold, with imposed schedules and tight timings. This will not be the case for the Tricolores, who will be able to work and recover according to their desires, their needs, their choices. And God knows that there is work to be done between now and France-Brazil, Saturday (5:15 p.m.), after a preparation ended with four defeats…

A real luxury for the Olympic vice-champions, who took up residence at the CREPS (Centre for Sports Resources, Expertise and Performance) in Wattignies on Monday, the day after their defeat against Australia (82-83) in Orléans. If they reach the quarter-finals, they will go on to INSEP, where they would dream of an Olympic podium.

The Blues present at the opening, they

Note that Jean-Aimé Toupane’s players have chosen to stay in the Olympic village. Each to their own. However, the Blues are not unhappy with this strategic decision that has been known for a while. Moreover, they will also have to watch the opening ceremony… on their northern television set. “We’re playing the next day. So no. If we had been in Paris or if we were playing two days later… But there, it was impossible.”explains Diaw. Here again, a difference with the women’s team, who will travel from Lille to Paris. Except that the French women’s team will not start its tournament until Monday against Canada. “We chose together. It was important to share this moment, it’s a unique experience and it can give us an adrenaline rush, put us at the heart of the Games while we are a little apart in Lille.”notes Valériane Ayayi, captain of the Blues.

The fact remains that Vincent Collet’s players are not afraid of this lack of flavour by being deprived of the village or the opening ceremony. “Performance is the most important thing and that’s good. It’s a big tournament that we’re looking forward to, a big level. We won’t do certain things, it’s a shame, but we’re focused on basketball.”assures the captain, Nicolas Batum, who is one of those who played in the final phase of Euro 2015 at Pierre-Mauroy, with a bronze medal to his name. “The stadium? It’s very big… It’s imposing, spacious and we can’t wait to be there. In 2015, we had an extraordinary energy, it will be crazy, we can’t wait to be there. We felt the energy of the public in preparation. There, there will be almost 30,000 people, it will be a crazy atmosphere.”devine «Batman».

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It won’t be a 100% Olympic experience without the ceremony and the village. But we know our goals.

Isaïa Cordinier

The French, however, do not hide. Like Isaïa Cordinier, they readily acknowledge that “It won’t be a 100% Olympic experience without the ceremony and the village. But we know our goals.”Olympic gold, or at least a medal, like in Sydney and Tokyo.

Rudy Gobert was there in 2015 and at the Tokyo Olympics. He is therefore well placed to discuss these subjects: “We had the chance to see the infrastructure, discover the stadium, but I knew it from having been to Euro 2015. It could be incredible, I hope it will be full.”says the four-time NBA defender of the year, about the usual Losc lair. And to add, on the choice to skip the village: “The positive point is that we are a little more in our bubble, less distraction, with the village and all the actions that can be there… There are thousands of athletes in the cafeteria, more requests especially for NBA players because the other athletes are sometimes fans. After that, it’s also very cool. But at Creps, the infrastructure is very good, we have access to basketball rooms, equipment for recovery or weight training whenever we want. Peace and security, that’s priceless. It was a very good decision. I hope it will allow us to be in the best possible frame of mind and have a good time together. Positive.”

Lille, the madness of grandeur

As for being in Lille, Bercy being busy the first week of the Olympics, there were reservations. They have not been completely erased. But “Everyone who was there in 2015 talked about it, it was a milestone for them”as Mathias Lessort relates. “The stadium? Even empty, it’s already impressive.”enthuses rookie Bilal Coulibaly, who is experiencing his first campaign in Blue, like a certain Victor Wembanyama. “We would all like to taste the Olympic experience, to do the opening ceremony, to be in the village, but you have to know what you want and this is the right choice. The conditions are more optimal for performance.”analyzes the 20-year-old prodigy.

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The village of Lille with only basketball players, we don’t really care, we see them all year round.

Evan Fournier

With his usual frankness, Evan Fournier has the final word: “There are two things, the village of Lille with only basketball players, we don’t really care, we see them all year round. There was mainly a reflection for Paris. There is a particular energy in the village, we experienced it in Tokyo. But we have to know what we want, be focused on ourselves, have everything available and be in the best conditions. In Tokyo, there were quite a few constraints, especially on training.”. In Lille and Paris, there are no constraints. The future will tell whether these arrangements will allow the Blues to achieve an epic as successful as during the last Olympic Games in Japan, three years ago…

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