French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to make France shine during the Olympics.
FILE - Centrist presidential candidate and French President Emmanuel Macron wears boxing gloves as he campaigns in the Auguste Delaune stadium, Thursday, April 21, 2022, in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, France. . Weaker than ever at home after recent elections, the French president hopes the Paris Games also will help his own star glitter again.
On Thursday, Macron plans to have lunch with about 40 foreign CEOs of some of the world's biggest companies, including Samsung, Tesla and Coca-Cola, aiming to reassure them about the political situation in France, his office said. In addition, Macron and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach have championed a summit meant to encourage world leaders and international organizations to support sports-related initiatives in areas like education, health, equality, inclusion and sustainable development.
When launching the 200-day countdown for the Games, Macron urged French nationals to work out 30 minutes a day, posting a video on his social media with him looking sweaty and in sportswear next to a punching bag.along the River Seine — even if he refused to disclose details to keep the “surprise.” He backed the idea because he wanted France to see it was important to “dare changing the rules” of an event typically held in a stadium, one of Macron's aides said.
Some political rivals criticized Macron’s focus on the Games, seeing it as an attempt to divert attention from voters and serve his own interests. Members of a leftist coalition have demanded the immediate right to form a government because they won the most seats at the National Assembly. "The reality is that the organization of the Olympic Games is leading to massive overbuilding on our natural and urban spaces, sacrificing biodiversity and the well-being of local residents,” activist climate group Extinction Rebellion said in a statement.
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