Paris, France 1 December 2016 President Hollande welcomes French Olympic and Paralympic medallists to Elysee Palace for Rio 2016 celebration French Olympians and Paralympians who won medals at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games today joined the President of the French Republic, Francois Hollande, at the Elysee Palace for a special celebration to mark Team France s record-breaking performance at this year s Games. Following his attendance at the Olympic Games in Rio to meet athletes and support the Paris 2024 bid, President Hollande also today reaffirmed the top-down, cross-party political backing for the bid. The Rio 2016 Olympic Games were the most successful ever for Team France athletes who brought home 42 medals, including 10 Gold, across a range of sports. A total of 396 French athletes competed in Rio another record for Team France. The 126 French Paralympians competing at the Games also won 28 medals, including nine Gold. The athlete delegation at the Elysee Palace today was led by Paris 2024 Athletes Committee Co-Chairs Teddy Riner (double Olympic Champion, Judo) and Marie Amelie Le Fur (triple Paralympic Champion, Athletics). A full list of the Olympians and Paralympians who attended can be seen in the Note to Editors section. The following members of the Paris 2024 Bid Committee were also present to pay tribute to the fantastic achievements of the athletes: Paris 2024 Co-Chairman, Bernard Lapasset Paris 2024 CEO and Olympian, Etienne Thobois Paris 2024 Sports Director and double Olympic medallist, Jean-Philippe Gatien Paris 2024 Advisor and Olympic Champion, Thierry Rey Paris 2024 Deputy CEO, Michaël Aloïsio President of the French Republic, Francois Hollande, said: I would like to congratulate all of our Olympians and Paralympians for their fantastic performances at Rio 2016. Their hunger and desire to compete at the very best of their ability for their country is a huge inspiration to us all. Their passion, spirit and enthusiasm will continue to spur us on as we aim to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Paris in 2024. Bernard Lapasset, added: This wonderful celebration of elite sporting performance and Olympic values fills us with inspiration and fuels even further our ambition to deliver a thrilling Games of passion and purpose with real benefits for Paris, France and the rest of the world in 2024. The athletes are the heartbeat of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and this is why we have made them the architects of the bid. We will continue to harness their ideas, energy and drive as we fine-tune our bid plans. I would like to thank President Hollande for welcoming us here today. Following the President s attendance in Rio to visit the athletes and support our bid, this celebration is further proof of the top-
down, cross-party political commitment from the French government towards the Olympic Movement, the Paris 2024 bid and elite sport across the country. Paris 2024 Athletes Committee Co-Chair and double Olympic Champion, Teddy Riner, said: It is amazing to be here at the Elysee Palace with my fellow Olympians and Paralympians for a great celebration of our record-breaking achievements at Rio 2016. It is every athletes dream to compete at the Olympic Games, so to compete at a home Games would be truly incredible. The Paris 2024 bid has huge support from France s athlete community and the national sports movement will continue to put their collective energy into bringing the Games to Paris and delivering a spectacular celebration of sport and Olympism in 2024. -ENDS- Note to Editors: Images: XXX The Olympians and Paralympians in attendance at today s celebration include: Olympians Rowing Jérémie AZOU Gold Pierre HOUIN Gold Thomas BAROUKH Bronze Thibault COLARD Bronze Guillaume RAINEAU Bronze Franck SOLFOROSI Bronze Boxing Tony YOKA Gold Estelle MOSSELY Gold Sarah OURAHMOUNE Silver Sofiane OUMIHA Silver Souleymane CISSOKHO Bronze Mathieu BAUDERLIQUE Bronze Canoë-Kayak Denis GARGAUD Gold Maxime BEAUMONT Silver Gauthier KLAUSS Bronze Matthieu PECHE Bronze Equestrian Karim LAGHOUAG Gold
Mathieu LEMOINE Gold Astier NICOLAS Gold Thibaut VALLETTE Gold Roger-Yves BOST Gold Pénélope LEPREVOST Gold Philippe ROZIER Gold Kevin STAUT Gold Fencing Yannick BOREL Gold Gauthier GRUMIER Gold Daniel JERENT Gold Jean-Michel LUCENAY Gold Judo Teddy RINER Gold Emilie ANDEOL Gold Clarisse AGBEGNENOU Silver Audrey TCHEUMEO Silver Cyrille MARET Bronze Sailing Charline PICON Gold Hélène DEFRANCE Bronze Camille LECOINTRE Bronze Pierre LE COQ Bronze Athletics Decathlon Kévin MAYER Silver Athletics Discus Mélina ROBERT-MICHON Silver Athletics Pole Vault Renaud LAVILLENIE Silver Athletics 110m Hurdles Dimitri BASCOU Bronze Athletics 200m Christophe LEMAITRE Bronze Athletics 3000m Steeplechase Bronze Mahiedine MEKHISSI-BENABBAD Bronze Equestrian Astier NICOLAS Silver
Fencing Jérémy CADOT Silver Erwann LE PECHOUX Silver Enzo LEFORT Silver Jean-Paul TONY-HELISSEY Silver Gauthier GRUMIER Bronze Handball Camille AYGLON Silver Chloé BULLEUX Silver Blandine DANCETTE Silver Siraba DEMBELE Silver Béatrice EDWIGE Silver Laura GLAUSER Silver Tamara HORACEK Silver Manon HOUETTE Silver Alexandra LACRABERE Silver Laurisa LANDRE Silver Amandine LEYNAUD Silver Gnonsiane NIOMBLA Silver Estelle NZE MINKO Silver Allison PINEAU Silver Marie PROUVENTIER Silver Grâce ZAADI Silver Luc ABALO Silver Adrien DIPANDA Silver Ludovic FABREGAS Silver Vincent GERARD Silver Mathieu GREBILLE Silver Michaël GUIGOU Silver Luka KARABATIC Silver Nikola KARABATIC Silver Kentin MAHÉ Silver Timothey N'GUESSAN Silver Daniel NARCISSE Silver Olivier NYOKAS Silver Thierry OMEYER Silver Valentin PORTE Silver Cédric SORHAINDO Silver Swimming Fabien GILOT Silver Florent MANAUDOU Silver Mehdy METELLA Silver William MEYNARD Silver Clément MIGNON Silver
Jérémy STRAVIUS Silver Swimming Marathon Marc-Antoine OLIVIER Bronze Modern Pentathlon Elodie CLOUVEL Silver Taekwondo Haby NIARE Silver Shooting Jean QUIQUAMPOIX Silver Alexis RAYNAUD Bronze Archery Jean-Charles VALLADONT Silver Cycling Track Grégory BAUGE Bronze Mickaël D'ALMEIDA Bronze François PERVIS Bronze Paralympians Athletics & Long Jump T44 Marie-Amélie LE FUR Gold Athletics 400m T13 Nantenin KEITA Gold Athletics 100m T37 Mandy FRANCOIS-ELIE Silver Athletics 800m and 400m T53 Pierre FAIRBANK Silver, Bronze Athletics 1500m T38 Louis RADIUS Bronze Judo 52kg B2 Sandrine MARTINET Gold Table Tennis class 2 Fabien LAMIRAULT Gold
Table Tennis Team Event Class 1-2 Fabien LAMIRAUT Gold Stéphane MOLIENS Gold Jean-François DUCAY Gold Table Tennis Class 3 Florian MERRIEN Bronze TableTennis Class 4 Maxime THOMAS Bronze Table Tennis class 8 Thu KAMKASOMPHOU Silver Fencing Romain NOBLE Gold Robert CITERNE Gold Yannick IFEBE Gold Fencing A-B Damien TOKATLIAN Bronze Ludovic LEMOINE Bronze Maxime VALET Bronze Tennis Doubles Stéphane HOUDET Gold Nicolas PEIFER Gold Sailing 2.4 Damien SEGUIN Gold Weightlifting 73kg Souhad GHAZOUANI Silver Swimming 50m Freestyle S4 David SMETANINE Silver Swimming 100m and 400 Freestyle S10 Elodie LORANDI Bronze Rowing TAMix2x Perle BOUGE Bronze Stéphane TARDIEU Bronze Triathlon PT4 Gwladys LEMOUSSU
Long Jump T45-46-47 Arnaud ASSOUMANI Bronze Cycling H4 Joël JEANNOT Bronze Canoë kayak 200m KL3 Cindy MOREAU Bronze For further information: Raphaël Leclerc Paris 2024 Bid Committee Email: rleclerc@paris2024.org +33 6 73 16 88 06 Rob Fawdon VERO Communications rfawdon@verocom.co.uk +44 (0)7769 216 649 Engage with the Paris 2024 bid here: Website: www.paris2024.org Twitter: @Paris2024 Facebook: www.facebook.com/paris2024 Instagram: http://instagram.com/paris2024