Conflict between Clarisse Agbegnenou and French Judo Federation intensifies

Two-time Olympic champion Clarisse Agbegnenou, who made her international comeback today at the Grand Slam in Tel Aviv, refuses to wear the kimono imposed on her by the Federation. In retaliation, the Federation decided to deprive her of a coach and to freeze her financial aid. The Federation is now supported by double Olympic Champion and former Sports Minister David Douillet.... owner of Double D which is in fact adidas judo headquarters.

It is without a coach on the chair and therefore without advice that Clarisse Agbégnénou returned to international competition, this Friday in Tel Aviv, Israel. The "consequence" of a conflict between the judoka and the French judo federation. Clarisse Agbégnénou having chosen to wear the kimono of her supplier (Mizuno) and not that of the French team (Adidas), the federation decided to... cut her off and deprive her of coaching.

David Douillet clearly gave his support to the Federation. “There is no big partner in the judo federation. We count the pennies, penny by penny. The budgets allocated to the French teams are constrained, tight”, he first explained, adding: “ A system has been in place for years, which is to have federal partners. These federal partners rely on the aura, publicity, notoriety of the French team and the results of judo. This notoriety translates into a financial mass which is used to equip the athletes, to make them travel, to prepare them, etc.

The words of David Douillet were obviously not to the taste of the judoka from Champigny-sur-Marne, who reacted vehemently on Twitter. “David Douillet takes the liberty of saying a lot of insulting things about me, but this is not his first cavalier outing with regard to women…”, she wrote, before adding: “However, he just forgot to give an important piece of information. » All embellished with a screenshot of an article explaining that the company Double D, founded in 1994 by David Douillet and official licensee of Adidas. What inevitably skew the judgment of the former deputy.

Sébastien Mansois, the national technical director (DTN), had sent an email to the technical staff. "As national coaches, you cannot "coach" athletes if they are wearing an outfit that is not officially recognised or validated by the French Judo Federation", wrote the state executive. A warning addressed to all but which targets Ludovic Delacotte, Clarisse Agbégnénou's coach, forced to follow the orders of his hierarchy.

Earlier in the day, the double Olympic champion had also received an email, sent by the DTN. "We would like to remind you that the French team's combat gear, provided by the coaching staff, is compulsory for the Tel Aviv Grand Slam, as it is for all the competitions in which you are involved as a member of the French team (...) We have no doubt that you will respect these rules, but we would prefer to remind you that in the event of a breach, it would be inconceivable for the Federation to maintain its commitments as set out in the agreement, including the support of your individual project. In short, the DTN explained to the champion that she would no longer receive personalised aid, which is paid by the Federation and which comes largely from the National Sports Agency, and therefore from the State.

Teddy Riner wears his own brand of kimono

How did this come about? A few months ago, while Clarisse Agbégnénou signed a kimono contract with Mizuno, the French Judo Federation was negotiating with the equipment manufacturer Adidas to supply the entire French team... Except for Teddy Riner, who was excluded from the negotiations. As early as 2017, the three-time Olympic champion and his lawyer at the time, Delphine Verheyden, had obtained (after a hard struggle) the possibility of having his own kimono supplier, considering in particular that it could be a technical equipment (in this case the athlete wears what he wants, such as spiked shoes in athletics). At the time, Riner had just signed with Under Armour and the American firm did not manufacture kimonos at the time, so an agreement had been reached for the champion to wear a kimono. A new development in 2021: since the Tokyo Olympics, Riner has been wearing the Fight Art outfit, the brand he launched.

Clarisse Agbégnénou wanted to do the same, in the name of fairness. Exchanges with the French Judo Federation quickly escalated to the point of becoming explosive in Tel Aviv. The Federation, fearing the loss of its equipment supplier, insisted that Clarisse Agbégnénou wear the same kimono as the other members of the French team and considered that the judoka was not entitled to negotiate with her own equipment supplier. The two-time Olympic champion wants to obtain the same agreement as Riner. Her entourage specifies that the French Federation "never provided her with a kimono" and that "the fittings only took place last Monday, in a hurry". Moreover, the name of a sponsor (Allianz) of the champion is missing from the national kimono.

Coaches are now forbidden to express themselves on the subject.

Read the full French article here