© Stade de France ®
Macary, Zublena et Regembal
Costantini - Architectes
ADAGP - Paris - 2002
|
|
ATHLETES' VILLAGE  |
 MADAME RAFFARIN MEETS FRENCH DISABLED TEAM
Paris 2003 Saint-Denis
Madame Raffarin, the wife of the French Prime Minister, was accompanied by Sports Minister Jean-François Lamour and Organising Committee President Jean Dussourd when she paid a visit to the French disabled team.
Tribute
“I must congratulate the athletes who are so well prepared for this very special event. They will be performing in front of a vast crowd, which they will no be used to, and will be giving it everything they’ve got. Today’s ceremony will, I hope, be a good omen before the competition proper.” These were the words of André Auberger, Chairman of the French Disabled Sports Federation, as he paid tribute to his team at the heart of the Athletes Village on Tuesday morning.
Six disabled events at the World Championships
Flanked by Madame Raffarin, Sports Minister Jean-François Lamour and Organising Committee Chairman Jean Dussourd, Auberger highlighted the extraordinary opportunity in terms of media coverage for disabled athletics offered by the staging of the World Championships in Paris. Jean Dussourd himself asserted that the previous stage, that of integration, had now been reached. “Questions are no longer asked on this subject”, Jean Dussourd declared at the start of the ceremony. “Between Wednesday and Friday, six disabled events will be taking place. For a long time, there were just two. What’s more, all types of disabilities will be represented,” enthused the Chairman of the French Disabled Sports Federation.
Accessibility and supervision
The issue of the development of disabled disciplines was also touched upon, particularly by the Sports Minister. “A national centre is in the process of being set up at Bourges, and regional venues are carrying out the renovation of sporting facilities to improve disabled access. More sports associations still need to be found to create disabled teams. And in order to give the athletes all the resources they need to prepare, social support must also be provided.”
A shirt dedicated to Madame Raffarin
This visit also provided an opportunity for Madame Raffarin and the athletes to meet, and at the end of the ceremony, a shirt signed by the team was presented to her. Team France, with Claude Issorat, double Olympic champion in the 1500 m wheelchair, in their ranks had an altogether sanguine air on the eve of its debut in the competition.
|
|
|
|
