This years' speaking competition on the Olympics for the youngsters at the Academy | OneFootball

This week, Paris Saint-Germain and Prométhée Education organised the final of the fifth speaking competition at the Parc des Princes. It was a memorable evening for the 32 players from the Club's U16 category who, for the first time in mixed pairs, presented their arguments on the values of Olympism and the key moments in the history of the Games, in the presence of Prisca Thevenot, Minister Delegate for Democratic Renewal and Government Spokesperson.

Organised as part of the ‘La Parole est à nous!’ programme run by the Prométhée Éducation association, the speaking competition lit up the auditorium at the Parc des Princes. The event, sponsored by the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry for Equality between Women and Men, Diversity and Equal Opportunities, has been awarded the ‘Cultural Olympiad’ title by Paris 2024, adding an Olympic dimension to this annual event.

For this 2023/2024 edition, marked by the imminent arrival of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the capital, the young talents of the Paris Saint-Germain academy have shone through their commitment and eloquence, speaking about the origins, values and key moments in the history of the Games.

The 32 players aged between 15 and 16, divided into mixed pairs, decided on their theme several months ago. The meticulous construction of their text and the numerous rehearsals enabled them to deliver their pleadings with passion in front of an attentive and captivated audience.

This year's jury was made up of 13 leading figures:

- Prisca THEVENOT, Minister Delegate for Democratic Renewal & Government Spokesperson- Michelle GILBERT, Director of Corporate Communications and member of the Executive Committee of Paris Saint-Germain- Mohamed SLIM, President of Prométhée Education- Mehdi RAHOUI, Director of Education at Paris Saint-Germain- Luca CATTANI, Director of the Paris Saint-Germain Training Centre- Yohan CABAYE, Deputy Director of the Paris Saint-Germain Training Centre- Sabrina DELANNOY, Deputy Director of the Paris Saint-Germain Training Centre- Anthony LEBBOS, senior reporter at BFM TV- Noah COUSIN, U17 player with PSG, ‘favourite’ winner in PSG's 2022/2023 speaking competition and 1st prize nationally in the ‘favourite’ category- Isaac MENSAH, U17 player with PSG, winner of the PSG 2022/2023 speaking competition and 2nd national prize in the ‘Winners’ category- Amandine BUCHARD, Paris Saint-Germain judoka- Oriane JEAN-FRANÇOIS, Paris Saint-Germain women’s team player- Léo VILLAIN, Paris Saint-Germain handball player

Four teams stood out and were named winners of the 2023-2024 competition:

- Lendo NZABA and Pierre MOUNGUENGUE won 3rd prize for their argument on the theme: ‘The 1992 Olympic Games: is sport the best weapon for peace?'Extract: ‘The Olympic Games give us hope that a better world is possible, because they are an example of peaceful exchanges between populations’.- Aliya FLAMENT and Adam AYARI won 2nd prize for their submission on the theme: ‘The Olympic Games: when sport helps to combat all forms of discrimination’.Extract: ‘Because sport has the ability to unite people, it should mobilise them in the fight against discrimination. In Olympic sport, everyone is equal, regardless of race, sex, social status or opinions’.- Assia MEHDI and Younes IDDER, won the ‘Jury's Favourite’ award for their argument on the theme: ‘The Olympic Games: ahead of the game for gender equality?'Extract: ‘The percentage of women athletes has risen from 6% in 1928 to over 45% today. As you can see, the conquest of the Olympics by women has been a slow process, and their struggle has not been a smooth one.’- Finally, Medina BELAÏD and Adame LAIDOUNI, won 1st prize for their plea on the theme: ‘The 1968 and 1976 Olympic Games: when sport is a lever for advancing the rights of minorities’.Extract: ‘Athletes must remain attentive to the ills of our society and be indignant, because they remain the beacons of light in a daily life that is sometimes dark and often silent’.

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