Eighth in Tokyo, seventh in Rio and London, tenth in Beijing, seventh again in Athens… Will the French Olympic team return, during these 2024 Games, to the top 5 nations, a goal set by Emmanuel Macron ? Will she increase her number of gold medals? Yes, according to the statistics: over the last eleven Olympics, the organizing country has always increased its collection of gold charms. Thanks, perhaps, to his home advantage, house advantage…
And The Marseillaise rang out once again in the Atlanta night. This Friday, August 2, 1996, the day after the coronation of Marie-Jo Pérec in the 200 meters, just a few days after her title in the 400 m, it was Jean Galfione who, this time, raised the tricolor flag at the top of the Centennial Olympic stadium.
By winning gold with a bar at 5.92 meters during an endless pole vault competition*, the Paris native offered France its 15th and final gold medal of these Games and allowed the delegation to leave the United States a few days later with a fifth place in the gold medal table.
Fifteen titles, fifth place in the ranking: 28 years after Galfione’s jump, 28 years after Atlanta 1996, France has never done better at the Summer Olympics: nor in terms of gold (thirteen in Sydney in 2000, the best performance since), nor in terms of ranking (sixth in Sydney, also the best since).
However, if the French team wants to achieve the objective set by Emmanuel Macron of returning to this famous top 5, it will certainly be necessary to increase the number of charms. And in this quest, French athletes should be able to count on a choice ally: home advantage.
Many factors
Obviously well known and even widely documented, particularly in North America and the Anglo-Saxon world, points out André Suchet, lecturer at the University of Bordeaux, specialist in sports geography, with regard to team sports, this advantage of playing at home would therefore also be a reality for the Games. It’s simple, over the last eleven Olympics (since Moscow 1980), the organizing country has always increased its number of Olympic titles compared to the previous edition. Before, sometimes, relapsing…
Professor emeritus of the Faculty of Sports Sciences and Human Movement at Paul-Sabatier University in Toulouse, Bernard Thon, who has been “interested in the phenomenon of home advantage (HA) for several years”, confirms that “ for the Olympic Games, some studies suggest that the organizing nation obtains a higher number of medals than expected taking into account previous results. And even if the determinants of this famous home advantage are “very numerous and depend on factors difficult to isolate”, Bernard Thon further explains, the authors explain this phenomenon in particular “by a greater investment of local actors (politicians, sportsmen, etc.) when the Olympic Games take place at home.
And the professor emeritus from Toulouse illustrates his remarks: “This is the case of France which has invested in the preparation of athletes and in research on the factors of performance many more resources for several years in view of the Olympic Games on his territory. The creation of the GDR (research group) Sport, led by the CNRS, is one of these operations intended to improve the performance of our athletes. » “We are really putting in the resources,” summarizes Pascal Charroin, historian at the STAPS** department in Saint-Étienne and Lyon. The athletes benefit from quite exceptional conditions. »
To explain this home advantage, there is also, of course, local support, “the general atmosphere, the quantity and strength of the supporters which would be likely to motivate the team on site”, confides André Suchet who gives a course to his students on this subject.
The role of supporters
But the other point, continues Pascal Charroin, “is taking bearings in the room or enclosure where they will play. And that, for athletes who, for example in gymnastics, athletics, cycling, decide between hundredths, thousandths of a second, or even millimeters, it is extremely important. » Pascal Charroin thus takes the example of swimming and in particular the backstroke discipline: “We know that swimmers, when they train, they always have points of reference that no one, apart from them, could see, unless you spend as much time in the pool as they do. And these benchmarks, knowing that it comes down to details, are not negligible. »
“The various studies show that the material characteristics of the reception structure are responsible for this home advantage,” adds André Suchet. That is to say that the teams who play at home know better the area where the grass, the track, etc., are better, know the locker rooms better where they can put themselves in better conditions. »
Be careful though. “There are statistical studies,” continues André Suchet, “which show that when a stadium is new, the home team has its home advantage which decreases. » It’s up to French athletes to quickly get their bearings in the new Games infrastructures.
Jean Galfione, Igor Trandenkov (Russia) and Andrei Tivontschik (Germany) all three cleared 5.92 meters, but the Frenchman was crowned on the number of attempts.
(**) Sciences and techniques of physical and sporting activities.
Jean-Adrien Truchassou
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