“If the swordsmen win at the Games, we will say that they did well to go against the system”

The swordsman Alexandre Bardenet contacted the CNOSF to contest his non-selection for the Olympics. What does this recourse inspire in you?
Jean-Yves Robin: He has every right to contact the CNOSF for conciliation. We respect his choice, his rights. There is a legal investigation underway. We are waiting to be asked.

He argues that it is an unsporting choice, a sanction for being part of the rebels with Yannick Borel and Romain Cannone. And he is the only one to pay…
This is not the case. The commission determined its choices based solely on sporting criteria. And unanimously. This commission is statutorily legitimate. The people who make it up have integrity, the process is ethical. This is why it is not the only coach-manager who makes the selection. This is the safeguard. And, finally, the selection criteria have been known since the start of the season. Claims a so-called sanction. This is absolutely not the case. Afterwards, I understand that there was a huge disappointment on his part with the prospect of the Games in Paris, that he needed explanations to be able to move on.

These famous selection criteria would have been poorly explained.
The first to the point is qualified. The rest is up to the commission…

On what criteria?
Sportsmen. Compared to what was evaluated throughout the season. Training is one thing, results and appreciation of results are another. In relation to the specificity of the weapon too. And in the international context.

“We should not see this as a breakup, but as tolerance from the DTN and the national coach. »

Jean-Yves Robin

It’s relatively imprecise…
The selection was decided unanimously. For the rest, you will understand that I keep the discussions of the members of the selection confidential. Who, moreover, are not authorized to speak on their behalf. I would like to point out that we told the athletes that we were willing to speak with them individually if they wanted more details. This invitation also applied to Alexandre (Bardenet). He didn’t answer it. On our side, there is no ambiguity, no malice. Personally, I spoke with Yannick (Borel) and with Romain (Cannone). I answered their questions. Afterwards, it suits them or it doesn’t suit them, I respect that. But I would like them, for their part, to respect the decision of the commission which is legitimate in relation to its prerogatives.

This choice added fuel to the fire. Romain Cannone disputes this and he left to train in Switzerland without warning. The selection is more and more fragmented.
The athletes expressed their desire to continue to lead a project that is their own, individual, and with all the serenity that suits them. We tried to bring people together. It didn’t suit them. They prefer to continue in this hybrid form by coming to Insep at their convenience when there are assault sessions. Gauthier (Grumier, the new manager of men’s epee, Editor’s note) wanted a sacred union around a collective project. They preferred to maintain a form of independence in their preparation, remaining responsible for their project. We listened to them. The important thing is that everyone is there for the Games. If they think that it is more likely to ensure their success… We accepted and we adapted.

“I made the decision to remove Hugues Obry from the Olympic project. Decision that I accept but which I deplore. »

What will now be the role of Hugues Obry, the former manager demoted to the deputy role who crystallizes the resentment of the three rebels?
I made the decision to remove Hugues Obry from the Olympic project. He will neither be at the European Championships nor at the Olympic Games as part of the staff. He will therefore not be present at the Olympic preparation courses either. I made the decision to take her out and deprive herself of her skills because we arrived in a situation where, above all, it was necessary to protect her. As a public official, I have a duty to protect my own agents. The harmful situation had an impact on my agent’s human nature. So I had to put it aside to preserve it. It’s very difficult for him to live with. At the same time, it also allowed our athletes to train peacefully since its presence was disconcerting for them during their performances. This solved a majority of the problem. Then Gauthier (Log truck) intended to bring everyone together within the same cocoon around the Olympics project. Some did not want it. But this situation impacts all the technical executives of the Federation. It amounts to not respecting the skills of someone who is eminently competent, who is internationally recognized. It’s difficult to deprive yourself of such skills but it’s a choice that was made to preserve everyone. So Gauthier leads the final preparation of some, welcomes others sporadically. We all meet up at the final stage and we win the Games. This is the diagram…

But removing Hugues Obry means depriving one of the selected players, Luidgi Midelton, of his coach. He told us he regretted it bitterly.
And he’s right. He is deprived of his trainer who could have taken him a little further. Gauthier will work more specifically with him to compensate. Hoping that things will go well, that Luidgi will manage to achieve his goals despite the fact, indeed, that his trainer has been taken away. It’s a reality, it must be said. But I feel like there was no good solution. We find ourselves with different parties who cannot manage to exchange, to find points of convergence, not even performance. It was starting to get tricky. So a choice had to be made. I chose the least bad solution to preserve the mental integrity of some: removing Hugues Obry. Decision that I accept but which I deplore.

“There are perhaps athletes who are not well advised by third parties, who fuel additional conflicts that do not help the federal Olympic project. That’s a certainty…”

This is not ideal preparation for the Olympics.
That’s you who said it. We do not know anything. We will see the results. If they win, we will say they were right. That they did well to go against the system. And we will be forced to review our system…

In recent months, there has been a lot of instability, a flurry of coaches in men’s epee, but also in men’s saber, women’s foil…
First, these are the individual choices of the coaches. The Games are pressure. The Games in Paris are even greater pressure. Which is significant. Coaches, in this media environment, are very impacted. Some choose to prioritize their family unit. You do not measure the impact on staff members. It is more exacerbated here because there are perhaps athletes who are not well advised by third parties, who fuel additional conflicts that do not help the federal Olympic project. That’s a certainty… So we compose, we adapt. Some coaches agree to drink, others do not, because it does not correspond to their values, to their vision of the project. But these resignation choices must be respected. I prefer someone who wants to leave because they feel that their project is not in line with what they want than to stay for the sake of staying…

The manager of the men’s saber, Alain Coicaud has just resigned because his choice of shooters had not been respected.
In each commission, the DTN that I am guarantees that the criteria are purely sporting. Let nothing extra-sporting come into play. I opposed Alain because I was not in agreement on the determination of the criteria, the way in which he argued his selection. This proves that there is debate and that nothing is fixed in advance. That there are no sanctions. I say it again: the commission is the safeguard so that the coach is not the sole selector.

Comments collected at a press conference