How the French military's 'army of champions' dominated Olympics medal count

Sarah Elzas
·1-min read

Nearly a third of France’s 64 Olympic medals were won by members of the French armed forces, with the military having become a major institution in supporting high-level athletes. As France looks to maintain – if not grow – its Olympic record, increasing support for athletes from the public sector, such as the military, is key.

The French armed services produced 21 medallists in judo, fencing and shooting, as well as in disciplines less connected to traditional military skills, like BMX or surfing.

They included four gold medallists: Army sergeants Manon Brunet and Althéa Laurin (fencing and taekwondo); air force aviator Nicolas Gestin (canoe-kayak); and the mixed judo team of Sergeant Major Clarisse Agbégnénou, navy seaman Joan-Benjamin Gaba, navy petty officer Shirine Boukli and army private Luka Mkheidze.

'Army of champions'

Of the 571 French athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, 78 were members of the "Army of Champions", a programme to support high-level athletes that the Defence Ministry calls the “main state contributor to high-level sport”.

The programme has integrated some 200 high-level athletes into the different branches of the armed forces and the gendarmerie.

However not all athletes stay in the armed forces after the end of their sporting careers.


Read more on RFI English

Read also:
France delivers Macron's wish securing best Olympic medal tally in a century
Laurin lifts France's first Olympic crown in taekwondo to take gold count to 16
French sports chiefs say clubs must prepare for Olympic boom

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