No politics for acclaimed Paris 2024 Olympics boss

PARIS: Tony Estanguet, the chief organiser of the widely hailed Paris 2024 Olympics, said Friday he had no plans to go into politics amid ongoing speculation about his future.

The 46-year-old, a triple Olympic gold medal-winning former canoeist, was the public face of the July 26-August 11 Games which have been celebrated as a national triumph after years of scepticism.

Estanguet was loudly cheered when he appeared at the Paralympics closing ceremony on Sunday, but he said he had no plans to build on his public profile by becoming a lawmaker.

“For me, it´s not a given that the end result of everything I´ve done is having a political career,” Estanguet told reporters at a press conference.

“I think there are other ways of serving your country,” he said. “I´m convinced that I can take on new challenges other than a political one.”

Estanguet had been mooted in the French media as a possible sports minister in the incoming government of rightwing Prime Minister Michel Barnier.

The former Olympian has never spoken about his future ambitions beyond taking some time out to rest and recover from his task as leader of Paris 2024.

The chief organiser of London 2012, Sebastian Coe, was a Conservative lawmaker before running the successful bid to host the Games and then being handed the role of head of delivering the Games in the British capital.