David Lappartient elected new President of the CNOSF

David Lappartient was elected President of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) on Thursday 29 June, one year ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, subject to approval from the General Meeting on 13 September.

Aged 50, the man who is also chairman of the Morbihan departmental council and president of the UCI (International Cycling Union) now has an additional mission: to bring people together to ensure the success of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It is hoped that his arrival will mark the end of a period of turmoil at the CNOSF, which has been embroiled in internal disputes for the past year and a half. Those tensions had led to the resignation of its president, Brigitte Henriques, on 25 May.

Following this event, the International Olympic Committee (CIO), which usually rarely meddles in the affairs of national committees, adopted a direct tone, asking “the entire French olympic and sports movement” to “focus” fully on the success of the Paris Games.

French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra also called on the French Olympic Committee to “come together” and “bounce back“.

And that’s just as well since “unity and togetherness” are the key points of David Lappartient’s programme. Some great challenges to take up, especially over a short term of office that will end in 2025.