The beautiful unity of French sport, which allowed it to bring the Olympics back to Paris a century after the previous edition in 1924, has already been shattered.
It’s not surprising: the prospect of being the one to hold the place of honor for the inauguration of the Olympics on that date is too enticing to remain indifferent.
Especially if you are a former fencer… how can one resist attacking and parrying?
Ms. Isabelle Lamour, president of the French Fencing Federation, has filed an injunction today (editor’s note: yesterday) with the TGI of Paris to request the annulment of the May 11th elections for the presidency of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, for which she was a candidate,” she writes in a statement sent to AFP.
“This appeal follows a campaign for the presidency of the CNOSF and an election process marred by clear breaches of the principle of equality among candidates and marked by numerous irregularities concerning the CNOSF’s statutory rules as well as the general principles of electoral law.”
On May 11, the CNOSF re-elected Denis Masseglia to lead the organization for a third consecutive term, with a large margin: the Marseillais had won 556 of the 995 votes cast in the first round, compared to 385 for Isabelle Lamour, president of the French Fencing Federation, and 54 for David Douillet, the third candidate.
Immediately after the election, the candidate denounced the conditions under which the vote was conducted, particularly criticizing the outgoing president’s speech during the CNOSF general assembly just before the election.
“In a responsible manner and to preserve every chance for Paris’s bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, she waited for the IOC session held in Lima on September 13, 2017, during which Paris was officially designated as the host city for 2024,” added Isabelle Lamour.
