Marie Oteiza and Thibaut Rigaudeau on track for the Paris 2024 Games

Their dream is to shine in Tokyo for France. Marie Oteiza and Thibaut Rigaudeau have both embarked on the Olympic adventure.

Marie Oteiza, European champion in 2018, is competing in the pentathlon event at the Olympic Games, which start on July 23. As for Thibaut Rigaudeau, French champion, he has been selected for the para-triathlon event at the Paralympic Games starting on August 24.

The two athletes have another thing in common: these two members of Racing Multi Athlon (RMA) are supported by the City of Paris for the 2024 Games.

Marie Oteiza: The Tokyo Games are the first of my career, so I'm obviously very enthusiastic and impatient to get there. I won't be satisfied with just taking part. I'm determined to come back from these Games with an Olympic medal.

Thibaut Rigaudeau: I'm getting stronger as the season goes on, and right now I'm excited and focused. Even though I didn't think I'd be this close to the best at the start of the season, I've come to realize that the podium is within my grasp. The goal will be to get a medal in Tokyo, and if it were the most beautiful of medals, I'd be the happiest man.

Marie Oteiza: The City of Paris provides moral, technical and financial support for me and my club, Racing Multi Athlon.

Thibaut Rigaudeau: The City enabled me to equip myself in the best possible way, because performance also depends on good equipment, which enables you to reach new heights.

Marie Oteiza: The home Games are obviously a dream and a source of great pride. Whatever happens, the Tokyo Games will be a landmark before the Paris Games.

Thibaut Rigaudeau: When I started triathlon, the Paris Games were my goal. I've got 3 years to progress and bring home a gold medal. In the meantime, I'm going to take advantage of the support of the City of Paris and my club to become more professional and leave nothing to chance.

In their Olympic and Paralympic Games journey, 47 top athletes are receiving support from the City of Paris. This number is expected to rise to 54 by 2022. The support is long-term, with a focus on the Paris 2024 Games.

The assistance provided includes a financial package of €3,000 per year, housing aid if necessary, and employment support. The latter is offered either by connecting athletes seeking jobs, apprenticeships, or internships with the city’s economic partners, or directly within municipal departments through tailored programs or contracts. The sentence is clear and the syntax is correct. It effectively communicates the different forms of assistance provided to the athletes.

This support extends to training, through partnerships with universities or training/retraining organizations. In addition, sports facilities and training slots are exploited to the full to provide these athletes with the best possible preparation conditions.

Last but not least, communications support helps to raise the profile of these potential Olympic and Paralympic medalists among Parisians.