Senior Inspector of Youth and Sports, former N°2 of the Sports Direction of the eponymous Ministry, National Technical Director of the French federation, Dominique Charré still does not understand the decision of the OCOG to exclude Karate from the Olympic adventure in Paris 2024. And he does not get an answer to his questions. This reinforces his opinion that Karate must be Olympic. He tries to show that this choice is illogical and unjustified.

By Ludovic Mauchien

Photos: DR

For several months, an image appears regularly in his mind. "A pretty terrible picture. Tony Estanguet gives medals on a podium. On the 3rd step, there is a skateboarder and a surfer. He gives them the medal. On the 2nd step, there is a guy who climbs, he gives him the medal. And on the 1^st step, there is the Karateka who bends over to receive the medal, and there, he puts the hanged man's rope on him ! This is the image I have of the way we have been treated. The collateral damage in this story is us. Whoever is dead is us ! Do not mistaken ! ".

More than 6 months after the announcement of the Paris 2024 OCOG not to choose Karate as an additional sport, Dominique Charré has still not digested it. It still remains smug. And he's fighting. To understand first, to know the reasons for this exclusion - what he considers to be the minimum - and to try to influence the decision, which is a nonsense for this senior official, who has made his entire career within the Ministry of Sports.

Dominique Charre does not understand and is not satisfied. His sense of State and his high vision of the Institution, undeniable, do not allow him to provide elements of response. On the other hand, he can very well measure the consequences every day...

What actions have been carried out ?

Much relies on a program called "Belt of Hope", which features an Olympic colored karate belt, and is distributed to a large number of Constitutionals to let them know the special situation of Karate, with the decision of the President of the OCOG, of which two things must be said.

Obviously, it is dramatic for Karate, international and especially for France. Then, it is still unexplained. It makes it difficult for us, the leaders of the Karate Federation, to explain to the clubs the refusal of the OCOG.

Today, this belt has been distributed to almost 1,000 parliamentarians (577 MP’s and 348 senators). We will solicit other institutions. The goal is to keep all the French parliamentarians and institutions awake.

There must be reasons for this exclusion ?

The reasons that are stated at the moment for the rejection of karate by the OCOG is first of all : Karate is not in the vision of the Games. It's quite paradoxical to think that 0.5% of 10,500 athletes can change the vision of the Olympics ! Then, young sports were needed. I counted 180,000 U18 licensees at the Federation on August 31st.

Then, we must explain that we do not need equipment, so Paris 2024 should not build anything for us. We can do karate anywhere. Moreover, we are very, very well established in all territories. Today, there is not a Mayor of a city of 5000 people who does not know Karatekas.

Today, there is no study undertaken that gives us the criteria adopted to evaluate each sport, and we have even less motivation to say that Karate has failed on this or that criterion. A few years ago, a decision had to be made by what was to become the OCOG : choose the city that would host sailing. 7 cities have applied. I was in the Nominating Committee, not as a member, but I assisted the Minister of Sports. I can say how well the files were worked out, the criteria were evaluated, the cities were visited, inspected by a commission, and we know for what or why they were not chosen. I'm not sure this is the case for additional sports. It remains hidden if it is because we cannot get these bloody criteria !

Do you feel parliamentarians concerned and/or mobilized?

We are always extremely welcome wherever we go. There is always a form of misunderstanding that is immediately shared since it seems rather foolish that we have no explanation. And it seems even more insane that the decision was taken at a time that we will be Olympic for the 1st time ever, knowing that there will not be a 2^nd time. This is maybe the subject that asks the most questions for people, who tell us : "How can it be ?". We come to explain that we cannot understand, and they tell us : "explain us!” ! This choice of the time of the announcement is maybe the most unexplained thing.

The anecdote that Tony Estanguet himself was part of a discipline that had been rejected, that he owes his entire career to people who fought for two years to rehabilitate Canoe-Kayak rafting at the Sydney Olympics, of course, that is valuable too !

What is especially interesting is that, finally, our questions are shared. We could say that we are of the karate family, and that we do not have an objective point of view, that it is normal we do not understand. But not at all ! We are welcomed by people, parliamentarians who want to share our interrogation.

What interests us ? It is precisely to mobilize a constant awakening, to hold everyone in suspense on this situation. Why ? Because if we have good results in Tokyo, I think that the media will take over the subject and that will bring the debate in another way.

How much hope can Karate have ? We are talking a lot about a final decision in December 2020...

Today, if we read the rules that are said, the case is closed. The OCOG has definitely gave its sports to the IOC, and the IOC says it is very surprised by the OCOG's decision, but cannot add anything to the OCOG proposal.

In fact, the reality is that in the agenda all that is said, these are just interpretations that settle the decision maker. No, it was not necessary to choose only 4 sports. That's a fake news. 6 sports could have been chosen, it would have not been hiindering at all. The final decision is that in December 2020, the number of athletes who will be qualified corresponds to the number that is requested.

I also note that the final program of the Tokyo Games was given just before the summer. For Tokyo 2020, the last disciplines were decided this year. So, we can very well decide until December 2020 the Karate stance in the program of the 2024 Games. That's for sure. Except if, with a lot of cynicism, we continue to explain that we had to choose only 4 sports. But this is not written in any Olympic rule.

So there is still hope ?

It's never lost, never lost, never lost ! Never, never, never.

Does "Belt of Hope" create an interesting enthusiasm ?

This can be interpreted in many ways. First, it’s Belt of Hope for Karate. What is interesting is that it also makes us talk about Karate, it makes us meet institutions, it forces us to move when it was not at all on the program.

What interests me is still to see the liveliness of some of our leaders. The fact that we meet many Officials in the territories and the fact that we want to save the existence of a discipline that is much practiced, it makes us known in a rather nice way, even if it is in the difficulty.

Are you supported by the sports family ?

The Olympic committee is a member of the OCOG, like the Minister, as the Mayor of Paris. All of these OCOG members tell us that it is not their responsibility, but that of the OCOG. By saying that, they do not tell us if they talked about it, if they treated the subject. That means they probably accepted.

When the decision was made, the young woman who announced it said that it was obvious for them to take breakdance. I wish to believe it. But I would have liked her to say if, for karate, it had been obvious or not to reject it !

I do not know if she has a lot of longevity in the sport, but it's a federation that is influent for many years, which almost integrated twice, in 2005 and 2009, the hard core, the family of the 28 Olympic sports. So, it is certainly not obvious to reject a sport that is quite powerful in France, very well developed, and that was in the process of believing that, because the Games were in Paris, there was an additional chance for it.

Moreover, I point out... I was director of sports at the Ministry (which means n°2 behind the minister) when the Olympic ambition for 2024 launched, through the Olympic committee, its first call to support Paris 2024. Only two federations had given money, to help "the Olympic ambition", Badminton and Karate, which was not even Olympic itself !