“The Olympic Games provide a great showcase for French, but it wasn’t used or highlighted enough in Athens. It is indispensable that we make better use of it in Beijing in 2008,” declared Hervé Bourges on 19 October speaking of his observations and proposals for the use of French at the Olympics.

Article 27 of the Olympic Charter that states that French is one of the official languages of the Games was “violated”, he says, listing examples: signs in Greek and English, entrance tickets for the stadiums without anything written in French, abbreviations in English (ATHOC, etc.), documents in French published too late, IOC meetings in English without interpreters, TV signals in English.

Quoting the French version of the Olympics website Hervé Bourges stressed the considerable efforts made by the City of Athens and the Greek authorities, but admitted “an enormous gap between the resources deployed and the results”.

Bourges was awarded the title of “grand Francophone observer” for the Athens Olympics by Abdou Diouf on 10 September, on submitting a detailed report on the role of French as an official language of this major sports event. “In addition to the critical observations on the use of French during the Games, the Bourges report makes concrete, constructive proposals for the future. Because the French-speaking world cannot do without the world showcase of the Olympic Games for French as a language,” declared Abdou Diouf, the secretary-general of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

Hervé Bourges speaking of his observations and proposals for the use of French at the Olympics

This is the first time that the OIF* has appointed a grand Francophone observer for the Olympics. The main elements of the report will be submitted to the heads of state and government at the 10th Francophone Summit in Ouagadougou on 26 and 27 November 2004.

* OIF comprises 51 member states and governments and five countries

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The Bourges report (in French only): www.francophonie.org 

Tel. : +33 (0) 1 44 11 12 63 hugo.sada@francophonie.org

Further article:  http://www.ebu.ch/en/union/news/2004/tcm_6-14328.php?display=EN

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