“Honestly, respect”… In the north, students put themselves in the shoes of Paralympic athletes

In Liévin (Hauts-de-France),

Great daytime atmosphere, this Thursday, at the Arena Stade Couvert in Liévin. The 6,000 seats in this historic French athletics hall are mostly empty, but the 150 or so students from the region who took their seats there for this special day of paratriathlon discovery are making ten times more noise. It screams, it pushes the mates who swim the 100 meters with legs attached, the kilometer of the hand bike (a tricycle intended for paraplegic or quadriplegic runners, which we move forward with arm strength) or the 800. meters of blind racing, carried out with a guide.

This good-natured competition, with heats and qualifying semi-finals for the grand final on Saturday, on the sidelines of the indoor triathlon World Cup round, is organized by EDF, one of the main partners of the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. French woman, committed for three decades to the French Handisports Federation , has increased the number of events over the past two years as part of its “enJeux d’avenir 2024” programme, to give visibility to the Paralympic disciplines, and ultimately help to change the perception of disability in general.

“Sport is a real lever for sending messages on this topic,” says Alexandre Boulleray, EDF’s Sports Sponsorship Officer. Putting young people with disabilities, getting them to practice paratriathlon, allows them to feel the sporting achievement that it represents. »

Sitting on the third floor of the Arena, overlooking the swimming pool and the blue court that surrounds it, the manager enjoys the festive atmosphere and notices that all the students are engaged in the game. “It’s great, isn’t it? t that? That is why we organize this day, he states. We get that it’s just sport. Young people are there to participate in a sports competition, there is no longer any difference between sports and para sports. We can all contribute, at our own level, to changing the way we look at disability, parasport and the athletes who practice it. »

“It’s super physical!” »

It obviously works quite well. Romain, Julien and Louison, three Staps students at the University of Artois, right next door, return to the stands after winning the series. Very tired. “We did well, but we didn’t think it would be so difficult,” breathes Louison, who led the hand bike section. For me it was really about the pecs and the back, with a lot of power to develop to move the machine forward. It’s super physical! »

All three recognized the difficulties of practicing with a disability. Julien, who ran blindfolded, confirms: “The hardest thing is that you feel like you’re running in a straight line all the time, you’re completely lost in space. Communication with the guide is extremely important, but you have to understand each other well, while you are running it is not easy,” he describes.

Fortunately, with Romain, who played the role of guide after starting the team at the swimming event, they are “used to talking and laughing together”. “We know each other well, that helps,” laughs the 18-year-old young man, before continuing, more seriously: “You have to be super strong for these disciplines. Honestly, respect for these athletes. »

We report these impressions to Alexandre Boulleray, who illuminates. “That’s exactly what we’re going to be looking for,” responds the manager. It allows them to open their eyes to the difficulties of para-athletes, and also to people with reduced functional ability in everyday life. It is important to educate young people in these subjects, they are the ones who will contribute to better integration tomorrow. It must be supplied. »

He does not think he is saying it very well, since our three friends from the “Elodie Lorandi team” (each team bears the name of an athlete sponsored by EDF, such as Clarisse Agbegnenou, Maxime Grousset, Florent Manaudou or Dimitri Pavadé), who are destined to to become physical education teachers, to project themselves. “We may have to have students with disabilities,” notes Julien. It is important to know at least a little about what they may encounter, what is possible to do for them. »

Between two sports sessions, the students could also chat directly with the EDF team athletes who were present for the occasion, Dorian Foulon (paracycling, Olympic pursuit champion in 2021), Heïdi Gaugain (paracycling, world pursuit champion in 2023) . ), Théo Curin (para swimming, triple world medalist in 2017 and 2019), Romain Cannone (fencing, Olympic champion in 2021) and Khalil Chabouni (breakdance, French champion in 2021).

Put an end to “sin”

Gathered in front of their young audience in an amphitheater, the performers presented their respective disciplines, with specific characteristics unknown to the vast majority, and answered some questions. “Exchanging with them is a real challenge for us,” says Dorian Foulon. The disciplines, the categories, the handicaps, they can’t do very well and that’s normal. They are the ones who will later educate their own children about this. »

The Breton cyclist, who himself had difficulty accepting himself as a disabled athlete (he was born with a clubfoot), always takes advantage of these moments to make his contribution. “We Paralympic athletes are often looked at with pity, in quotes: ‘oh poor him, it must be hard, he’s already good at what he does’. No, we want to be seen as athletes, real . The world of parasport is becoming more and more professional, we are moving towards very high performance, and in low handicap categories like mine, we are getting closer and closer to able-bodied people. I run at the highest amateur level among able-bodied people. In individual pursuit, I am among the 10 best healthy Frenchmen. This is what we want to make clear. And trying certain disciplines, that’s when they achieve. It’s not leisure, we’re doing tough things.”

He was able to see it in person, since the athletes also participated in the competition, like Romain Cannone, who had a hell of a time. “We watch TV, we can tell ourselves that it’s not that difficult, but in fact it’s not enough to have strength in the arms. But you have to be very strong, because if you swing a little, everything else disappears, notes the swordsman. I found it super interesting. “He’s not the only one. Paralympic athletes got some viewers for their games. And probably some more.