Six medals and five fourth places - Swiss Olympic is very satisfied with the sporting results of the first week of the Olympics. The athletes also rave about the atmosphere in Paris.
04.08.2024, 11:44
04.08.2024, 12:37
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- The Swiss delegation is on course to achieve its goals at the Olympic Games.
- Head of delegation Ralph Stöckli is very satisfied and proud of the results so far.
- The sporting success of the French - or the sustained development of the British after the 2012 home games - encourages Stöckli in his efforts to bring the 2038 Winter Games to Switzerland.
The 2026 Games in Rio de Janeiro with seven medals and 23 diplomas was the target set by the umbrella organization Swiss Olympic and head of delegation Ralph Stöckli. Halfway through the competitions in Paris, they are well on track. With six medals, the figure for Rio has almost been reached. It was clear from the outset that the 13 medals from Tokyo three years ago could hardly be regarded as a target. In the second week, there are fewer disciplines on the program in which the Swiss are strong.
On Sunday morning, Stöckli was satisfied with the results so far. "The currency of success is medals," says the former top curler. "The road is getting rockier. But I also sense that the appreciation for places in the top eight or so is increasing." The man from eastern Switzerland also highlights the five fourth places achieved by the Swiss team in the first week of the competition.
A proud team boss
"If the dice were right, even more would have been possible. But it could also be less." Together with 21 diplomas already, this impressively demonstrates the breadth of Swiss sport. "As Chef de Mission, that makes me massively proud."
Personally, he was particularly pleased with the medals won by the female shooters. Nina Christen did not get up to speed as hoped; Chiara Leone and Audrey Gogniat stepped into the breach for her. As before, Stöckli emphasized what he sees as the exemplary transformation of the shooting association from amateur to modern professional sport.
A recurring theme of this first half of the Olympics is the athletes' raving about the ambience at the competition venues. Stöckli speaks of a mammoth task that the organizing committee has mastered very well. After the usual "organized chaos before the opening ceremony", everything went very smoothly, from the village to the arenas to the transport.
A boost for the sport
The sporting success of the French - or the sustained development of the British after the 2012 home games - encourages Stöckli in his efforts to bring the 2038 Winter Games to Switzerland. "That's the main motivation," he emphasizes. "You can see what a boost it means for the sport."
But first he and his team have to get the second half of the Paris Games off to a good start.
