Another vision of the Olympic Games

That is Albert Jacquard’s vision. Albert Jacquard is a biologist, and a specialist of population’s genetics. He’s recently published at Editions Stock, an essay entitled “Stop the Games!”

This pamphlet is not meant to question the actual existence of the Games but suggests modifying the spirit of the Games changing them into a real feast in the service of Man

The note of presentation of the book synthesizes the thoughts of Professor Jacquard in these terms:

« The Olympic Games are a beautiful show. But what is there behind the scenes? We are shown magnificent and dashing athletes but they hide us the other side of the picture: the suffering of all, the failure of most, the inevitable drift to doping.

It is necessary to put an end to the hypocrisy and say what high-level sport is today: an enterprise of man's exploitation of man, where the only real rule is profit, whatever the human cost is. Running faster, jumping higher, and being the strongest: it's about time to put this childish ideal aside and propose a model of humanist Olympic games at last. »

In an interview in the August 13th’s issue of Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace Professor Jacquard says he will speak to Mr Delanoë, the Mayor of Paris, whose city is a candidate to the organization of the Games of 2012. « I am going to tell him that he should announce that Paris centres its candidature on the absence of prize list, that a revolution is on the march, that the Games of New York would be those where profit is king and the Games of Paris will be those of the friendship and the fraternity among the peoples; and that it is why it is necessary to choose Paris. I am going to suggest him to burn the podiums and to take down the flags. I am going to propose that. He is going to snigger, but that doesn’t matter, I shall tell him that anyhow. In the long run, good ideas will eventually make their road. »

Gérard Tabary, Entre nous, the newsletter of the National Association of the Races Outside the Stadiums.

Ignace, you exaggerate!

On a day of the summer, 1951, a race of no importance gathered about fifteen kids of my village in the heart of Valais. There were to be a village fête and a race on the same day. I had been fed with rice "because it is supposed to leave the stomach well”

Three kilometres and a third place, but just after me two other lads of my age arrived. A team’s job! We still give each other a nudge every time we happen to mention that event.

If it weren’t for Ignacio, the butcher. He will take a malicious pleasure to spoil this memory of mine. As soon as he can hear anyone mentioning that race, he will have the same tune. And he has had it for more than thirty years!

" Eh, Noël " he will say to me " You’re the chap that brought me down on that day, aren’t you? "

Of course I remember that just after the start there was jostling, some boys fell, one pulled out of the race. But I have told you a thousand times Ignacio, I didn’t push anybody. Or maybe I was pushed, and I didn’t realize I gripped Ignacio, and he fell.

It was his first race ever, and he is the lad who pulled out on that day, and never again did he run! What is destiny? Had I fallen, I might sell beefsteaks. And this would be signed Ignacio Rey. Let me do justice to him. But once and for all!

Noël Tamini

In your trainers! All of you!

Everywhere in Switzerland, running is thrilling the crowds and is becoming more and more popular.

Trotting for half a century

Having been a champion on the tracks and fields, Yves Jeannotat became the champion of a cause that is dear to him: popular running He was Swiss champion on the track in 1959, wan Morat-Fribourg twice, and founded Spiridon – together with Noël Tamini. He still supports the noble cause of sport in the columns of Le Matin. Running has become a popular sport, and nobody knows the “soul of running” better than Yves Jeannotat.

Yves Jeannotat, how did this passion for sport start?

Ah, that goes back up very far. I was born in 1929. My father was a farmer in the Clos du Doubs, on the heights of Saint-Ursanne. As every country boy, my life was punctuated by labours on the farm. I would go to school in the mornings, come back home for lunch, return to school… I would walk 12 kilometres everyday. We used to jog trot. Therefore, the movement of running, for me as for many children of that time, was more natural than that of walking.

When did all that end into sports?

Very late. When I entered the University of Fribourg. To pay for my board and lodging, I was a supervisor at Saint-Michel School. One day, a fellow student said to me: “listen, today there’s the university cross-country championships, are you going to take part with me?” I did not even know that there were running competitions. I said: «OK, find me a pair of sandals.” During the race I wore everyday casual suit. I was second. People of Fribourg Athletic Club noticed me, and they introduced me into organized competition. And running got right into my blood!

What is the pleasure and the passion of competition?

Immediately I was best of the club in my age group. I wan 47 races out of 48. (Laughter). The first one in 1951. Competition doesn’t only mean the passion of winning, but also that very special impression of competing against someone, but competing on his side at the same time. That’s it. During the 50s, I was an athlete doing competition and I had a professional career. I graduated in both Literature and Educational Psychology and eventually became a teacher.

What about your best memories?

During my very first year of competition, I became Swiss cross-country champion. At the time, there were only cross-country races and road races. A marathon was an extremely rare thing. People used to say: “The poor men! They’re going to kill themselves on such a distance!” In Switzerland, there were only about fifty road races, which were classics. There were only about fifty of us each time - nothing to do with the scale of the races nowadays

Does racing require a slow maturation?

Well, yes. I improved very gradually until 1959. Ten years of running are necessary for a runner to mature, they say. I was only doing 5,000 and 10,000 metre competition. I was Swiss champion in the 10,000 m in 1959. I was selected in the Swiss team eighteen times. But my very memory will be my first victory in the Morat-Fribourg race, in 1959.

Today, many things have changed in running, haven't they?

Yes. I always tried to make a link between elite and popular sport. From the early 70s, running has evolved in the direction of fitness. We realized that anybody could run a marathon. Remember that in 1959, a doctor did not want me to take part in an event because my pulse rate was 38! He believed I had a cardiac abnormality! I had to sign a discharge form. Popular races developed at the beginning of the 70s, when Dr Cooper, the coach of the American astronauts, published Aerobics and launched the word jogging. He was indignant: a few men train to go to the Moon, whereas most men are growing fat. A wind of madness blew. Everybody began running.

You personally contributed to it, didn't you?

Together with Noël Tamini I founded Spiridon, the first magazine about running in French. Then the defense of the sport for all was my aim. Because elite sport does not have to overshadow popular sport. Between 1960 and 1965, there were 500-600 runners in the Morat to Fribourg race. In 1980 and 1981, they were 15 000!

Do you still run today?

I am 72 years old and I officially ended the competition in 1965. But I am extremely lucky – because, you know, legs and joints undergo tremendous stress - well, at my age, I can still run for an hour every day in the forests. It is a big privilege: running has never left me.

Interview by Jean-François Duval for Construire

Creation date : 01/03/2005 @ 16:42
Last update : 27/07/2006 @ 08:22
Category : 3. Archives
Page read 2758 times

 Print preview      Print the page