Sport and tourism ---- Sport as a leisure activity established itselfvery early as an important sphere of tourism. The Alpine Club founded inLondon in 1857 is even considered the first structured association toorganize mountain excursion tourism (1). However, the members of theBritish Alpine Club, steeped in the spirit of Victorian England,considered themselves much nobler and superior to other tourists seekingrest in resorts and frequenting the then fashionable spas (2). Thecharacter and qualities of these pioneers such as discipline, courage oreven mastery and surpassing oneself have remained in modern sport eversince. The French Alpine Club which appeared a little later in 1874followed the same ideology.If sport in the form of fencing, boating or horse racing was at thattime a leisure activity specific to the bourgeoisie, its extension toother disciplines was organized at the same time as the tourist industrydeveloped. . And when this tourism settles into the age of massproduction and consumption after the Second World War, ski resortsdevelop in the mountains and more particularly in the Alps to welcometourists to their new playgrounds. winter. The snow plans will then makeit possible, from 1964 until 1977, to create 150,000 beds spread across20 new and 26 old resorts. In 1968 the Winter Olympics in Grenoblehelped popularize snow sports. And resort outings organized by primaryschools and snow classes - presented by some as "social" measures - willhelp the development of skiing (3). Children who learned to ski with theschool are thus predisposed to return to the resort with their familyand become the future customers of the white gold industry for years tocome. Not very long ago, in September 2021, Laurent Wauquiez, presidentof the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, even underlined for his MountainPlan 2: "Our kids must learn to love skiing" to ensure the the future ofstations; the future of the resorts that our Regional President is keento develop in a "sustainable" way with hydrogen snow groomers,photovoltaic snow cannons and LED lighting (4). The inevitable economicdevelopment, now ecological, will again rely on a clientele previouslyformatted according to the standards of sports merchandise.Olympic Games and territorial social and environmental attractivenessThe 1968 Grenoble Olympics popularized winter sports at a time whenthere was little concern for the societal and environmental effects ofmass production and consumption. But today the candidate cities for theorganization of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (JOP) before the IOC(5) find themselves obliged to emphasize the sustainable and socialaspect of their project. Although it benefited from the defection ofother candidate cities, Paris obtained the organization of the OlympicGames because it would be less costly: in fact the capital benefits fromalready existing infrastructure (stadiums, swimming pools, grounds). Thereduced number of infrastructure constructions to be carried out allowsthe French capital to announce its compliance with the Paris climateagreements and its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissionsduring the organization of the JOP. The organizing committee for theOlympic and Paralympic Games (COJO) (6) even announces that this singlecriterion would reduce GHG emissions by half. Efforts would also be madeto reduce the carbon footprint by using, for example, "renewable"energies in public transport, reception areas, etc. On a social level,Paris 2024 committed to ensuring respect for working conditions, theintegration of vulnerable groups and access to markets for allcompanies: "VSE-SMEs, ESS companies [economy social and solidarity],sector of integration through economic activity (IAE), disability sector(7)". This deliberately social, inclusive and ecological policycertainly contributed to the award of the 2024 Summer Games to Paris.But it is also about giving Paris the image of an exemplary capitalaimed at illustrating the territorial identity that the capital and morebroadly the country are seeking to forge. Attractiveness policies areimposed on all territories with the sole aim of developing and boostingthe economy. However, major international sporting events (GESI) ensurereal attractiveness. Just like the "events" tourism sector (festivals,trade fairs, exhibitions, conventions, etc.) as a whole, the GESIsattract people. They captivate aficionados, spectators-tourists andtelevision viewers in large numbers, but also investors and othercapital holders. The territorial marketing which accompanies these GESI(8) and tourism in general aims to attract the occasional traveler inorder to give them the desire to return to live there, create theirbusiness or continue their studies and work-consume in the territory fora longer period of time. term. Major GESIs such as the JOP have anadvantage over other events: excess! The figures speak for themselves:the JOP will be followed by 20,000 accredited journalists, potentiallyby 4 billion viewers; A cumulative 16 million visitors are expectedacross all sports competitions. No other tourist event - sporting or not- can provoke such enthusiasm, develop such attractiveness.Interministerial Councils for Tourism and the Olympic GamesBarely appointed Prime Minister, Édouard Philippe decided not to assigna simple ministry responsible for tourism. On July 26, 2017, it broughttogether an Interministerial Tourism Council (CIT) made up of halfmembers of the government (around fifteen ministers and secretaries ofstate), to which are added around twenty professionals from the sectorand a few elected officials. This Council will be responsible for"giving new impetus to the measures expected by the tourism industry (9)".Among the tourism professionals present in this first CIT, half areclosely interested in the Olympic Games: we include Sébastien Bazin,president of the Paris Saint-Germain football club, but also CEO ofAccor-Hotels which will become an official partner JOPs; or Augustin deRomanet, CEO of ADP, the operator of Paris airports, then officialsupplier during the Paris 2024 bid campaign. There is also Jean-MarcJanaillac, CEO of Air France-KLM, official partner of Paris's candidacyfor JOP 2024. Timothée de Roux is also participating in this first CIT.He is president of the National Union for the Promotion and Developmentof Vacation Rentals (UNPLV), bringing together the main players invacation rentals and urban rentals, including Airbnb, which will becomea global partner of the Paris JOPs in 2019. Among the otherprofessionals present, we note Michel Dessolain, CEO of Viparis, managerof congress and exhibition sites in Île-de-France, such as the Palaisdes Congrès at Porte Maillot which will host the JOP main press center,the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Center and the Paris Nord VillepinteExhibition Center where the Paris Nord Arena is located. There is alsoCatherine Pgard, president of the Public Establishment of the Palace ofVersailles which will host the equestrian dressage and show jumpingevents and the horse riding and modern pentathlon events. Anne Yannic,Director of the Eiffel Tower company, was present at this CIT. A centralelement during the JOP, the Eiffel Tower sector will be renovated,pedestrianized and greened. It will host wrestling, beach volleyball,judo, triathlon and open water swimming events. Philippe Faure andChristian Mantei, respectively President and CEO of Atout France werealso present; Atout France, France's state-linked tourism developmentagency, signed an agreement in October 2016 with Paris 2024 to supportand promote the capital's candidacy for the organization of the 2024Olympic Games. Pierre-René Lemas, CEO of the Caisse des Dépôts etConsignations, was also included in the list of sponsors of the Paris2024 bid. And Jean-François Rial itou, president of the Paris Touristand Convention Office until 2023, and CEO of Voyageurs du Monde, touroperator already involved in previous editions of the Olympic Games inBeijing and Rio de Janeiro.Among the six elected officials involved in this CIT were PhilippeAugier, mayor of Deauville who is now a candidate to host the Chinesedelegation, Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris who will host the Olympic Gamesand Dominique Bussereau, president of the Assembly of the departments ofFrance which signed an agreement with the COJOP in December 2021 so thatthe Olympic flame crosses all the departments with celebration in theevening in a town in each department. In this first CIT, were thepresences of these elected officials and these tourism professionals nowso involved in the JOPs totally fortuitous? There is room for doubt.Mission report on major international sporting eventsThe organization of the 2024 Olympic Games was awarded to the city ofParis during an IOC session held in Peru in Lima in September 2017. Fourmonths later, at the conclusion of the second Interministerial TourismCouncil (CIT) on 19 January 2018, Prime Minister Édouard Philippeannounced that the following CIT would be devoted largely to the theme"Sport and tourism". And a little later, the head of government sent aletter dated April 25, 2018 to MP Benjamin Dirx, in which he asked himto carry out a "mission jointly with Mr. Laurent Queige, president ofthe Welcome City Lab, Ms. Pascale Roque, general director of Pierre etVacances Tourisme, and Mr. Patrick Doussot, vice-president of the LeTouquet tourist office [to] identify avenues of action in order tooptimize the tourist benefits of major international sporting eventsorganized in France in general, and of the 2023 Rugby World Cup as wellas the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in particular (10)". Francehaving obtained the organization of the largest international sportingcompetitions (the Rugby World Cup and the JOPs), the Prime Ministerwants at all costs to "establish a framework which allows betterarticulation between the hosting of these major sporting events and[their] ambitious objectives, both quantitative and qualitative, interms of tourism: to go beyond the prospects for 2020 by exceeding 100million international visitors and 60 billion euros in tourism revenue(11)". If in hindsight this ambition did not quite achieve its objectivebecause of Covid, the mission nevertheless responded to the requirementsof the head of government and proposed new avenues of valorization andpromotion to develop the attractiveness of the country. The reflectionwas to focus on "attractiveness strategies which make it possible tolimit the effects of avoidance; the reception policies to be put inplace to improve the visitor experience, maximize their length of stayand their average spending basket, adapt the offer to accessibilityissues; the actions to be taken to allow all French destinations tobenefit from the expected influx of visitors, and to develop territorialoffers around these major sporting events (rear bases in particular);the ripple effects of major sporting events on certain sectors,particularly business tourism; the communication strategies to bedeveloped before, during and after sporting events to capitalize ontheir notoriety and optimize their legacy, particularly in terms of theimage and dynamism of the France destination (12)". The aim is topropose operational avenues tested before the Rugby World Cup and theOlympic Games since "tourism and sport are key sectors of our economy,which promote regional development, growth and employment". We are nolonger burdened here with the discourse on Olympic values and thelifestyle based on joy in effort, educational value and respect forfundamental universal ethical principles. Nor do we dwell on "theOlympic Movement [having] the aim of contributing to building a peacefuland better world by educating young people through sport practicedwithout discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit whichrequires mutual understanding, the spirit of friendship, solidarity andfair play (13)".The mission report on GESI was submitted to the Prime Minister on July19, 2018, the day of the 3rd CIT devoted in part to sport and majorsporting events so that they "be catalysts for tourist attractiveness(14)" and push to the expense (15); This is what emerged from the presskit. But let's come back to the mission report. After "hearing more thana hundred tourism and sport stakeholders (16)", the missionariesretained twenty-one measures aimed at developing a tourist offer thanksto GESI and promoting their knock-on effects in particular by"[maximizing] the economic benefits for the region thanks to shopping"and by developing "links with business tourism". All this with the helpof means to be put in place: digital tools, financing, consultation andmonitoring bodies, a reinforced transport offer, etc. Who could stillthink that tourism and consumption linked to GESI respond to a demand ora need which would have arisen outside of real interest? It clearlyappears that consumer demand is giving way to a policy of development ofthe commercial offer of which the JOP and other GESI are theopportunity. On this subject, the GESIs, such as the Barcelona JOPs of1992, have "favored a very significant growth in tourist arrivals,increasing from 1.75 million in 1990, to 4 million in 2000, then 13million in 2010. The number of beds having increased by 98% between 1990and 2001 (17)". Our missionaries are right to emphasize that the numberof tourists has continued to increase since the 1992 Olympic Games until2010. But they fail to emphasize the fact that a significant movementagainst this "tourist dynamic" has taken place. crystallized inBarcelona in particular against the gentrification and Airbnbization ofworking-class neighborhoods due to this same dynamic. This led in June2014, an activist for the right to housing, Ada Colau, to the head ofthe municipality of the Catalan capital. Despite a proactive policyaimed at reducing mass tourism (18), the results are striking: touristarrivals in Barcelona reached their maximum in 2019 with 19.4 milliontourists (19). Only the health measures imposed during the Covid periodsucceeded in reducing the number of tourists... But the influx ofvisitors resumed in 2022 and with it the nuisance; which makes theMunicipal Councilor responsible for tourism (of the Socialist Party ofCatalonia) at Barcelona City Hall, Xavier Marcé (20), say: "What isneeded is to optimize the benefits and control the damage. This is thedebate in which all European cities are engaged (21). » Contrary to whatthe mayor of Barcelona could have hoped at the start of the Covidcrisis, the world after is not very different from the world before (22)...Olympics and rights to work on SundayIf the 2024 JOPs are, according to those in power, of undeniableinterest for the tourist attractiveness and the economy of theterritories, they are also a godsend for those who want to passexceptional laws which would have difficulty convincing otherwise: theyaccustom the population to accept what seemed unacceptable. The law forgrowth, activity and equal opportunities (of course!) known as theMacron law of 2015 allowed businesses located in "special" places toopen on Sundays and in the evening by creating international touristzones (ZTI). Until then, the principle of Sunday rest is the rule inFrance, according to the law of 1906. Of course, exemptions are grantedfor certain areas of exceptional consumption use in urban units of morethan one million inhabitants or again for food retail stores on Sundaymorning. Other so-called automatic exemptions also exist for hospitals,hotels and museums and authorizations can also be granted exceptionally.The ZTIs were born with the desire to retain foreign tourists in Franceand make them spend their money. Sunday and evening work was also ademand from the lobby of tourism professionals united in Alliance 46.2(23). In order to broaden the scope of the "right to Sunday work",twelve ZTIs were created in Paris by ministerial decrees in applicationof the law of August 6, 2015 and nine in the rest of the country.Certain stations in Paris and the provinces will also benefit fromregulations similar to the ZTI on Sunday work.In an exceptional situation, an exceptional law. Article 25 of the lawof May 19, 2023 relating to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Gamesextends the relaxation of working rules on Sundays between June 15 andSeptember 30, 2024: "In the municipalities where the competition sitesare located of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as in themunicipalities bordering or located near these sites, the Staterepresentative in the department may, taking into account the needs ofthe public resulting from the expected exceptional influx of touristsand workers [...], authorize a retail establishment which makes goods orservices available to deviate from the Sunday rest rule (24)."Obviously, "the exemption from Sunday rest is implemented in theestablishment subject to the voluntary participation of the employee(25)"... However, the Minister for Commerce [and Tourism], OliviaGrégoire, who brought this measure to the Sunday work by presenting itin the text of the law on the Olympic Games did she not declare that shewas, beyond this particular period, in favor of a modification of thecurrent law which authorizes businesses to open only 12 Sundays per year(26)?Olympics and security measuresBut the law on the Paris Olympics above all made it possible tointroduce, it is said in a limited time manner, algorithmic videosurveillance. All this attractiveness, this shopping and this businessaround tourism, the GESI and the JOP of Paris require protection thatmeets the challenges. Under the guise of protection and the fightagainst terrorism, but also of maintaining order, not to mention theso-called exceptional measures and the trivialization of the state ofemergency, security laws follow one another. One of the latest is the"law of May 25, 2021 for global security preserving freedoms". Thisnotably provides the city of Paris with a municipal police force. Itexpands the powers of municipal police and that of private securityagents and increases the possibilities of access to video surveillanceimages. All these measures are particularly in line with therequirements for the smooth running of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the2024 Olympic Games... Security around the Stade de France proved chaoticduring the League final of champions, on May 28, 2022 and underlined theneed to strengthen the workforce and the means to secure the mostfollowed sporting event in the world: the JOP. While avoiding anyconspiratorial analyses, we note, however, that the "dysfunctions"surrounding this Champions League final will have made it possible torefocus opinions and needs on the security of the JOPs. The globalsecurity law of May 25 gave certain possibilities, but the measureswhich were not possible to pass through this law were finally passed onMay 19, 2023 with article 10 of the law relating to the Olympic andParalympic Games of 2024. This law authorizes in an experimentalframework limited in time - until March 2025, well after the end of theJOP - to collect images using video surveillance systems and camerasinstalled on drones and to process them by artificial intelligence.These algorithmic processing operations have "the sole purpose ofdetecting, in real time, predetermined events likely to present orreveal these risks and to report them" and for the sole purpose "ofensuring the security of sporting, recreational or cultural events (...) exposed to risks of acts of terrorism or serious attacks on personalsecurity" (27). This experimental framework will make it possible toimplement these new security means but also to accustom the populationto submitting to these controls and accepting them, provisionally, weare told.Tourism, entertainment, sport and social controlGESIs, like tourism in general, are drivers of the market economy. Theygreatly contribute to territorial attractiveness, also a source ofeconomic development. But certain situations can compromise thiscommodification: terrorism, war, certain crises, social conflicts, thegeneralized climate of violence or theft, etc. ; anything that can raisea feeling of insecurity. More generally, the commodity associated withthe work in all its forms which produces it requires social peace tosell it which only a State can guarantee by maintaining order and forceor coercion if necessary. It is not so much social movements that worrythe State but rather its repercussions on marketization. This isevidenced by the yellow vest movement in Paris at the end of 2018 which,following the devastation of the Champs Élysées, caused the cancellationof numerous tourist reservations. In recent years, tourism hasstrengthened the security of places and tourist, cultural or sportingsites, in particular through the deployment of patrols and videosurveillance cameras, but also through the establishment of a label ofsecurity of tourist sites: "SÉCURI-SITE", whose conventions make itpossible to adapt the security response on a case-by-case basis for eachsensitive site (26). The generalization of the security model applied toall commercialization is done through the tourism, sport andentertainment sector which the population is more able to accept,feeling the advantage and pleasure of it. grant. All the more so sincethis tourism, this sport and this entertainment, included in a lifestyledeemed desirable because it is based on hedonistic compensation in theface of the obligation to produce, themselves contribute to pacificationand social control. In this context, to be entertained is to accept, andto want more and more without ever feeling satisfied.The Grenoble Anti-Tourism OfficeNotes1 Previously, in 1841, Thomas Cook had organized his first therapeutictrip against alcohol dependence. He will then develop other organizedtrips. The first travel agency had just been created at that time.2 Delphine Moraldo, The Spirit of Mountaineering. A sociology ofexcellence from the 19th to the 20th century, ENS Éditions.3 The same phenomenon of development aid has been deployed over the last15 to 20 years by schools, under the pretext of equality anddemocratization: the use of digital technology in schools has mainlyserved to familiarize society with its computerization. School is a verygood way to intervene in the desired developments in society. Leisureand digital technology have propelled the corresponding economicsectors. But they also participate in a certain maintenance of order andsocial peace; the contemporary "bread and circuses".4 https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/eco...5 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the internationalorganization which designates the host cities of the Olympic Games.6 The Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (OCOG)is responsible for the organization, planning, financing and running ofthe Olympic Games. The OCOG is constituted by the National OlympicCommittee of the country of the host city and "must comply with theOlympic Charter, the contract concluded between the IOC, the NOC and thehost city (host city contract), as well as the instructions of the IOCExecutive Board.7 https://www.paris2024.org/fr/charte... ;8 For 2023 and the five following years, France has the following GESIs:the Alpine Ski World Championship in Courchevel-Méribel, the RugbyLeague World Cup, the Rugby League World Cup, the Transat Jacques-Vabreevery two years, the Vendée Globe every four years, the Basketball WorldCup, but also the cycling Tour de France and Roland-Garros. And ofcourse the most important of all: the JOPs of Paris 2024.9 https://www.politique.fr/sites/d...10 https://www.entreprises.gouv.fr/fil.. . ;11 Ibid.12 Ibid.13 Speech supported by the IOC: https://olympics.com/cio/au-dela-de... ;14 According to Édouard Philippe in the editorial of the press kitdedicated to this 3rd CIT: https://www.politique.fr/sites/d... ;15 Among the main measures taken during this 3rd CIT, there is forexample the connection between tourist and sports ticket offices: theidea is to offer the spectator purchasing a ticket for a majorcompetition accommodation and a tourist pack to "maximize ] the positiveimpacts in favor of the attractiveness of France and its territories andthe tourism sector". See press kit Ibid.16 https://www.entreprises.gouv.fr/fil... ;17 Ibid.18 https://www.latribune.fr/economie/i... ;19 https://www.shbarcelona.fr/blog/fr/... ;20 In 2019, Xavier Marcé was elected from the Party of Socialists ofCatalonia which governs jointly with elected officials from theBarcelona en commun list led by Ada Colau, the outgoing mayor ofBarcelona re-elected in 2019 thanks to the indispensable support ofManuel Valls, the former Prime Minister of François Hollande who ran onthe Ciutadans list, center-right party.21 https://www.letemps.ch/monde/barcel... ;22 Ada Colau, "This crisis shows us a path", Le Monde, June 16, 2020.23 Alliance 46.2 has changed its name. It became the France TourismAlliance.24 https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf...25 Ibid.26 https://www.lefigaro.fr/societes/jo...27 https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf...28 https://mobile.interieur.gouv.fr/Ar... ;http://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4074_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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