David Lappartient, president of the International Cycling Union (UCI) governing body, has been named as the new French Olympic Committee (CNOSF) president after a landslide election victory.
He was elected with 80% of votes – 36 from a possible 45 – after running against Emmanuelle Bonnet-Oulaldj, the joint leader of the Workers’ Sports and Gymnastics Federation.
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Lappartient's main task will be to steer the CNOSF through its final preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and bring stability to the organization after months of crisis.
He replaces Brigitte Henriques after she suddenly resigned last month (May) and will only preside over the remainder of her term after being formally endorsed at the upcoming general assembly, which will take place on September 13.
Lappartient said he does not intend to stand for another term after it ends in 2025 and is focused on steadying the body before, during, and after the Olympics, which are scheduled to run from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
Henriques’ resignation came after 18 months of internal strife at the organization and a public disagreement with her predecessor Denis Masseglia. The unrest saw Henriques asking the International Olympic Committee to launch an internal audit of the CNOSF amid a long-standing row with former general secretary Didier Sminet.
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By GlobalDataIn a statement, Lappartient said: “My commitment to the French sports movement is undeniable. I’m thinking of the athletes, the federations, and territories, the members and volunteers who are committed to the development of sport on a daily basis.
“I would like to pay tribute to Brigitte Henriques for her dedication and the work she has carried out alongside the CNOSF’s elected representatives and teams.
“I am fully mobilized on the major challenges ahead, foremost among them: the success of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, support for our French athletes … and the legacy of the games.”
Henriques’ resignation and Lappartient’s election do not affect the organization of the games, which is overseen by the Paris 2024 organizing committee, led by France’s three-time canoeing gold medallist Tony Estanguet.
The election comes amid a spate of scandals within French sports culminating in the headquarters of the Paris 2024 committee being raided by police earlier this month as part of corruption investigations into contracts linked to the games.
The headquarters of sports marketing agency Keneo, founded by the organizing committee's director general Étienne Thobois, has also been searched by French police as part of its investigation.
Elsewhere, Noël Le Graët was forced to resign as president of France’s soccer federation in February after an investigation into allegations of sexual and psychological harassment, while former sports minister and French rugby coach Bernard Laporte also left his post as president of the French Rugby Federation in January after being convicted of corruption – several months ahead of France hosting the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The scandal was a significant blow to French rugby, having already seen Claude Atcher fired as chief executive of the 2023 Rugby World Cup last October after presiding over an “extremely degraded social environment” that saw bullied employees reportedly suffer panic attacks and burnout.
