Samuel Ducroquet, France's Ambassador of Sports
France has celebrated the Rugby World Cup’s initial success on multiple fronts and is now shifting its focus to the 2024 Olympics.
With New Zealand and South Africa meeting in the final in Paris on Sunday, the French government is diligently working to ensure that the rugby tournament’s success serves as a perfect platform for Paris 2024.
Amid these efforts, Samuel Ducroquet, France’s Ambassador of Sports, has expressed readiness to assist Indo-Pacific nations like Fiji.
“The Pacific region is on our priority on out diplomatic agenda. And we recently decided to expand the scope of our cooperation tool, which I mentioned earlier, FSP, so Innovative Fund for Solidarity Project to this region. So, we don’t have an example yet of how these tools will be used in the region, but they are now at the disposal of our embassies in the region.”
He emphasizes the significant role of sports diplomacy, which is notably evident at the Rugby World Cup, the Paris 2024 and beyond.
“But it’s not only for next year but it’s actually for the longer run and we would like to make sure that in view of the next sporting events, like Australia 2027 and the Rugby World Cup is already around the corner and there will be wonderful opportunities for Brisbane 2032.”
The Ambassador engaged with Pacific journalists during their tour of Paris, hosted by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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