It is in the auditorium of the museum that Claude Boli, historian and scientific director of the MNS, welcomes journalists, former high-level athletes, and sports enthusiasts for a discussion among sport lovers.
He welcomes Jérôme Peyrat, author of the novel about Peter Norman, and writer Bernard Maccario, who has chronicled the life of Jean Bouin; both were present to provide a comparative view between two works with great similarities.
As the master of ceremonies, he is the mediator of this exchange and invites the audience to reflect on the duty of remembrance and the necessity of highlighting the stories of men with extraordinary destinies like Jean Bouin or Peter Norman.
The former, a great specialist in French long-distance running, was a silver medalist at the 1912 Olympics and died for his country during the First World War. The latter, an Australian athlete, is world-renowned for his stand against racial segregation and his solidarity with Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the podium in Mexico during the 1968 Olympics. The two writers justify this duty of remembrance and history through the nearly mythical life paths of Jean Bouin and Peter Norman, which have far surpassed the realm of sport.
The number of sports venues, as well as educational institutions and other infrastructures named after Jean Bouin, attest to this. Perhaps there is no better way to spark curiosity, which is, for Bernard Maccario, “the engine for entering into History.” For Claude Boli, this is not enough; we must honor the sport and its heroes and regard them as an integral part of culture. “There is a true duty of transmission from legislators to the younger generations. There are too many negative preconceptions about athletes; we must change this by giving more weight to sports culture in France,” he declares.
Sport as a vector of peace and humanism has nothing left to prove, given the numerous examples, and the impact of accomplished acts still marks our era. However, recognition by other realms of culture does not yet seem to be achieved, at least in France. Despite this, its main activists have not lost hope of seeing a sports work win the renowned Goncourt or Renaudot prize someday.
Yassine Said Hassane
