This Thursday, February 8, the French ambassador for sport is present in Marseille. Samuel Ducroquet has held this position since February 2023. In Ivory Coast last week, he was in the south of France to “prepare to welcome the world,” he says. The objective of his visit: to meet the consulates general established in Marseille to prepare the arrival of their international dignitaries, as part of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Marseille is the host city for sailing and football events. This afternoon, the ambassador will be in Miramas to meet “the actors who will welcome the Kenyan Olympic team. » One of the challenges of the Games is to enable the deepening of diplomatic relations with other countries.
Organization, cooperation and influence
The title of ambassador for sport is 10 years old. The initial objective was to “regain a little more influence internationally in the field of sport and to involve the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs more. » There are around ten ambassadors, called thematic ambassadors, within this ministry.
Samuel Ducroquet is a diplomat by training. Its mission is structured around three “essential” axes:
He ensures the proper organization and preparation of international sporting events. For example for the 2024 Olympic Games, this concerns: “Protocol issues (official reception of foreign delegations), consular issues (for the issuance of visas with the Ministry of the Interior), international communication issues and the contribution of the ministry to crisis management,” he explains.
Cooperation through sport. Its role is to understand “how sport can help France strengthen its ties with its foreign partners. In the same way as culture, science or even the French language,” underlines Samuel Ducroquet.
It must enable the influence of France in the world. It pushes the ministry to support French companies internationally in the field of sport. “International events are one of the best showcases of France internationally, like the Vendée Globe, for example. »
A “Sports Nation”
Legacy is the key word for the 2024 Olympic Games. This event must be able to “accelerate the development of easier access to infrastructure. » Samuel Ducroquet is convinced, France can become “a sporting nation”, thanks to the creation of equipment. “Emmanuel Macron announced, in his wishes to the players in the world of sport at Insep, the doubling of the objective of creating infrastructure, going from 5,000 to 10,000,” concludes the ambassador.
This article is originally published on mesinfos.fr
