The Games meeting with Pierre Durand

Crowned Olympic champion in individual show jumping at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 with the unforgettable Jappeloup, Pierre Durand will also be at those of Paris 2024. At Versailles, he will be one of the volunteers, generally called “volunteers”, without whom the Games could not be held. He talks about the reasons that pushed him to take on this role.

Before discussing together your involvement as a volunteer for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, I would like us to come back to this role that you took on in the Bordeaux vineyards, that of flame bearer. You’ve carried the flame before, but have you ever carried it on horseback? First of all, I would like to say that it is a great responsibility to be bearer of the flame. I had the opportunity to accompany her twice and carry her twice. The first time, I was 13 years old and it was for the Winter Olympics in Grenoble. I accompanied her because she was passing by the national road from my native village where the stables were. I was alongside the flame bearers but I did not carry the flame myself.
I also accompanied her in the same conditions in 1992 for the Albertville Winter Games. That same year, I wore it on the Champs-Elysées, from the bottom of the Champs-Elysées to the Place de la Concorde. I then covered 400m, running. But I was young so it was okay (laughs). It was a pretty incredible moment. This year, I carried it on horseback, which was a great first.

Does doing it on horseback have a special flavor?
It was indeed a plus to carry the flame on horseback. If this happened, it was also because I had set the condition that I would only carry the flame if it was on horseback. I wanted to remind those who forget, and in a context where we know that horse riding is closely watched and even threatened in the Olympic program, that the horse has been an Olympian since the creation of the ancient Olympic Games. The most popular event at the time was the chariot race.
Since then, the horse has always been a Games from ancient times. When the Games were interrupted and they were recreated in their modern version by Pierre de Coubertin, the horse immediately reappeared as the equal of man like an Olympic athlete. For me, this reminder was non-negotiable. It obviously didn’t happen right away. But they finally gave in when they saw that I was determined to only carry the Olympic flame on horseback.

Did you feel a certain fervor during this torch relay?
There was not the desired fervor unfortunately. Moreover, it created frustration in the village of Saint-Emilion because the organizers chose a route which, certainly, gave beautiful images on television, but was not accessible to the public on this portion. Many people came to see the flame on horseback. On the other hand, the relay was pleasant on one point. It was only 200 m, but as it was done at a walking pace, very leisurely, with stops to take drone shots and photos, it lasted a good quarter of an hour. I had a flame port that I was able to enjoy because it was long enough.

Who chose the horse you rode?
It was I who decided, not on the horse but on the type of horse. I chose a horse that was accustomed to horse shows. In my region, there is a town called Castillon-la-Bataille, where the end of the 100 Years’ War took place. Every year for 30 years, there has been a sound and light show with a cavalry of which I am the godfather. I called the professional who manages this cavalry to ask him for one of his horses. They are used to galloping in noise, fire etc. However, we still had to do two tests to see if he remained calm. The torch worried him a little at first, especially when it was handed to me because the way it burns makes a bit of noise. In the end, he behaved wonderfully. It was ideal for this type of exercise.

As a nod to your story, didn’t they have a little black horse on their rider?
(laughs) No, there was no dark horse. And I must say that I did not make it a criterion. The first horse I was introduced to, I was told he would be a perfect fit. Bad luck, he was gray. I should even say white like the outfit that was mine. It was also quite… virginal compared to the values ​​of Olympism, which normally must remain sacred. It wasn’t that bad aesthetically after all. On the other hand, for the wink, which some noticed, I had put on a burgundy carpet that had been given to me after the Seoul Olympic Games. On it, we can read “Jappeloup 1988”. It was the little touch that meant that Jappeloup was also there with us.

You were also selected as a volunteer at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer. What role will you play?
I am very proud of this volunteer status because I had to go through the selection process of several months and it was not easy. I did not truly identify myself. Precisely, I wanted my candidacy to succeed thanks to other criteria than that of having been an Olympic champion. I was quite proud to have passed this selection. They realized my identity before the big gathering of volunteers at Porte Maillot in Paris.
Two days before this gathering, the deputy regional director of the OCOG, whom I know, told me “But Pierre, you are a volunteer… you could have told us about it! ». I couldn’t be at the meeting for professional reasons, so he asked me if I authorized Tony Estanguet (president of the organizing committee for the Paris 2024 Games, editor’s note) to talk about it. To which I said yes because there is nothing secret.
I learned that I was the only Olympic champion, but not the only Olympian, to volunteer. It was only about ten days ago that I knew what my mission was going to be. I knew I was going to be in equestrian sports, but no more. I am therefore delegated to relations with the riders. I am waiting for a precise definition of my functions, but I think by the name that I will be there to relay any possible questions from the riders, their staff or others and to inform them of the information they are looking for.

Why did you decide to give your time for these Games?
Let’s say it’s a bit in my DNA. I was a sports volunteer in France for eighteen years. Then, I spent six years at the FFE and then did almost two years at Ecurie France, which at the time was the structure which managed competition entries and which I had computerized. I was president of the CREPS of Talence, near Bordeaux, for six years, before being president of the INSEP board of directors for six years as well. All this is more than 18 years serving sport as a volunteer.
It is in my commitment and a family tradition too. It’s a pretty natural extension for me. I couldn’t resign myself to the fact that there would be an Olympic Games in France and that I wouldn’t be there. I made my first Games as an athlete in 1984, then in 1988. Then, I was a consultant for Canal+ in 1992, 1996 (in parallel with my role as president of the FFE), 2000, 2004 and 2008 In 2012, I went there as president of INSEP. In 2016, I was no longer president of INSEP but the CNOSF approached me because Club France was in an equestrian center. So I contributed to the negotiations.
I only missed the 2021 edition. I was also a member of the delegation which received the commission for evaluating the Olympic sites for the Olympic Games, including the Versailles site, which did not make sense at first. I didn’t want to watch the Games on television so, in case I wasn’t accepted as a volunteer, I bought tickets for the show jumping finals, both team and individual.

Since you were 13, have you somehow always lived with the Games?
We can say that it was at the age of 13 that the Games entered my life. I thought about it afterwards, because I no longer really remembered accompanying the Olympic flame as a significant event. But I think that, all the same, it awakened me to what the Olympic Games were. I followed the Grenoble Games on TV with great successes from the French skiers. At the time, the Winter Games were the same year as the Summer Games.
A few months later the Summer Games were held in Mexico in 1968. There, I became really interested in the Games and particularly in horse riding. I followed the French riders there and in particular my idol, Pierre Jonquère d’Oriola, whom I already knew a little. This is where the dream of being an Olympic champion was really born, watching the equestrian events. From that moment on, it never left me. The Olympic Games have been in my brain since I was a teenager.

Paris 2024