Jean-Marie FRICHET, NPC France « Chef de Mission » for 2018 !

One year before raising the curtain at PyeongChang 2018, an interview with Jean-Marie Frichet, chosen as Chef de Mission for the XIIe Paralympic Winter Games.

What was your reaction to the announcement of your nomination as Chef de Mission for the 2018 Paralympic Games ?
I was honored and I am profundly greatful.

According to you, what is the role of the Chef de mission ?
The chef de mission must create team spirit, a cohesiveness between the staff and the athletes from the different disciplines with the aim of building one french paralympic team. The role is also to lead the athletes of the team to give their best performances on the international level and to make sure that they will be in the best conditions to obtain success. To achieve this, the chef de mission works closely with the NPC France to understand as much as possible the needs of the athletes and staff.

You have participated in several paralympiades as a guide but also as a paraski director, what do you think of the changes in the Paralympic Games during your career ?
In 1988, I participated in my fisrt Games as guide to Stéphane Saas. Since this point, many changes have taken place namely in technology and the media coverage which has become more and more important. Today the paralympic games are moving closer to the Olympics in terms of the popularity and the calibre of the performances.

How do you imagine those 2 weeks in PyeongChang next year and how will you prepare for the Games ? What values do you want comunicate ?
Like I already said, it is really important to create a strong team spirit. The objective is also to do everything we can to make the games the most successful possible as they will be the culmination of 4 years of preparation on behalf of the athletes and the staff. Moreover, I really want to highlight the work of the volunteers and the parasport clubs because we must not forget that without their passion and investment, the sport for disabled people would’nt be as well known.

You just came back from the Chef de Mission meeting in PyeongChang, could you tell us about it and fill us in about any recent developments one year before the opening ceremony ?
The meeting went well. The organising commettee gave us useful information and anwered questions asked by the representatives of 35 differents countries. I am convinced that the POCOG will have everything organised from the point of view of logistics to facilitate the set up of the team of the village. We visited different paralympic venues which are already operational even if some technical building and access roads have to be completed.

The test event which will take place from the 10th to 18th will be a really good opportunity for the athletes and staff to familiarise themselves with the venues. Today, the accommodation is still a challenge. The number of beds are lower than the number of people expected, especially close to the alpine venue. A the Paralympic Village, the work isn’t finished yet, bu it’s well underway. Everything will be ready on time to welcome the world.

The LOCOG is putting everything in place to welcome in the best conditions the 50 countries expected and I am convinced that the Paralympics will be a fantastic celebration and that the athletes will inspire the world.