For many years now, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces has offered top-level athletes the opportunity to train for their respective sports, thanks to an exceptional scheme. Adapted working hours, a stable salary and career prospects are just some of the benefits that enable athletes to prepare for major competitions and receive financial support, which is not the case in all professions. As a result, 78 of them have gone on to become gendarmes or policemen, either on duty or as reservists!
The numbers in this Army of Champions have doubled since 2018, on the occasion of these Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The Ministry points out that since the first Olympics of the modern era,"more than half of French medals have been won by military athletes" . And this Olympiad at home is no exception, as many of our medal winners are among them, from Shirine Boukli, petty officer in the Navy, Luka Mkheidze, private 1st class, Manon Apithy-Brunet, Maréchal des logis, Nicolas Gestin, aviator in the Air Force, Thomas Chirault, sergeant in the Army, Joan-Benjamin Gaba, sailor in the Navy...
PolicewomanCamille Jedrzejewski excelled in shooting sports, while BAC policewoman Anaïs Bourgoin amused many Internet users after qualifying for the 800-meter semifinals by saying she was "running behind the thieves at Porte de Saint-Ouen. Today, I'm running at the Stade de France. I hope they'll see me and understand why I was always catching up with them".
An exceptional harvest in this profession, which can be explained by the time and resources allocated to athletes to focus on their performances! However, they are not obliged to serve the country at the end of their sporting career, the main thing being to"represent the institution in the field of sport", according to the Ministry of the Interior. Other companies support their champions on a daily basis, like SNCF, with Sarah-Léonie Cysique, a platform agent.
