“Tony Estanguet to blame for C2 slalom being eliminated from the Olympic Games”

Official: C2 slalom out of the Olympic Games!

(Translated) by Ettore Ivaldi – Published on his blog ‘Occhio all’onda!‘. Ettore Ivaldi coached the Brazilian Team up to and Rio 2016 and is currently one of the Head Coaches of Team Italia. 

Rafael Nadal’s tenth victory at the Roland Garros is really quite exceptional, and you have surely read every slightest detail in the newspapers or on internet which has highlighted here, there and everywhere the records and historical comparisons in order to link the past to the present which is a totally Spanish phenomenon.

What many of you haven’t noticed and that I now want to draw your attention to is that the “the Musketeers’ cup”, which is thus named in honour of the 4 tennis players from the north that won the Davis Cup for the first time, and which was presented by Nicole Kidman on the arm of the person that the French have made its sports symbol, launching him into an important future political career.

That person’s name is Tony Estanguet who had the responsibility of winning three gold olympic medals as well as lots of other world cups. I have to confess that seeing our friend Tony today, Vice President of ICF and Vice President of the Olympic Committee, thereby representing our althletes, coming down the stairs with the fantastic Nicole Kidman, that I remember in the film “The Hours” for which she won the Oscar, draws up emotions and if you allow me to say so, a feeling of immense pride.

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We have all admired Tony for his unique style in the water and for his enormous dedication to reaching great levels, but I feel just a little perplexed about his political point of view.

I was really pleased about him being part of ICF, and then right after, his being elected into the CIO [IOC]. When he became part of the Promoting Paris 2024 Comittee I thought that the young boy I had seen winning races all over the world would have dedicated himself completly to the concerns of our beloved sport, using his fame and notoriety in order to give further importance to the sport itself.

Jumping one step ahead of the well informed murmurs, that if France, and therefore Paris, wins the race for the Olympics (more or less certain by now, hearing the declarations on the part of the other contendent, Los Angeles), Tony will be nominated President of the Organizing Committee as well.

That is, he will be the Sebastian Coe of London 2012, the Gianna Angelppooulos (who by the way was born in Candia) of Athens 2004 and going back even more, the Giulio Andreotti of the Rome Olympics in 1960.

Certainly a very important and influential man, well prepared with all his credentials in order for doing just as well in politics as we have seen him do in competitions. Well after all this along comes the shock, the CIO [IOC] has decided to eliminate the C2 competitions permanently from the Olympic Games thus ignoring the dignity and history belonging to a sport that cannot abandon this speciality.

I personally can only blame Tony Estanguet for this. After his incredible advance in his political career, how often, if ever, have we seen him at competitions, unless it was for a question of personal interest for his career.

What a pity to forget such a glorious past that, however, is still present and alive and that could give him the chance to raise his voice and increase the number of athletes that could paddle in white waters, without having to cut down on the number of athletes in order to leave a space for the female canoeing [canoe] community, which has the right to be present too.

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