EXCLUDED – Nelson Monfort: “If I wasn't working on the Games, I'm not sure I would stay in Paris during the Olympics. »

An essential figure on French television for nearly 40 years for his interviews, his polyglot talents and his comments on figure skating, Nelson Monfort, 71, is still very active. After starring in a play with Philippe Candeloro, he will commentate on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on France Télévisions, to end his career in apotheosis. A crooked smile and a mischievous look, Nelson Monfort s'is delivered for Interviews ! Discover the entire interview here.

Interviews : Interview master, how does it feel when the roles are reversed? 
Nelson Monfort: I answer as sincerely as when I ask the questions, so even if the roles are reversed, I have no problem with that! 

Tell us about your job...  
There are two things that have helped me in my job: general culture and obviously foreign languages. I am not a sports journalist, I am a journalist curious about the beautiful things in life, and above all I try to be a conveyor of emotions.

Which discipline gives you the most emotions? 
The one I like to watch and comment on is figure skating! It's a sport that I've always loved. 

What is the most difficult thing about commenting?
This answer will undoubtedly amuse or surprise you, but it is very sincere: the most difficult part of being a commentator is knowing how to keep quiet... The public will never blame a commentator for not speaking enough... 

Some athletes are sometimes shy in front of a microphone. What is the secret to a successful interview?
I think an interview can be made or broken even before the first question. In the way of welcoming and making the interlocutor feel welcome, I generally know if things will go well. Stored experience does the rest. 

What is your best memory ?
The London Olympics in 2012, and in particular the men's 4x100m relay. With the relay, we see the strength of a nation. The French team won this event, it was a moment of grace... And when the four torchbearers came to whisper to me "You are like our fifth torchbearer" after the interview, I said to myself that this job was worth the effort. be experienced.

And your worst memory?
My worst memory? My interview with Maria Sharapova after her victory at Roland Garros. I walk up to her to do the interview and she says, “Wait, I have to put on my watch!” » I didn't quite understand, because only his head was filmed, not his wrists. The interview begins and there I see her starting to scratch her head, scratch her hair, etc. She had just put her watch on so she could see herself. I find it so unspontaneous and calculated. I don't know if it's my worst memory, but it illustrates everything I don't like about sports. It's not very noble... 

Roland-Garros, was it the tournament that made you a star?
I would say that this tournament is probably the event that has done the most for my career. I am representative of this tournament, even if I have done a lot of other things! For more than 30 years, it has allowed me to know in turn all the generations of the greatest tennis players in the world and to have, I think, a very beautiful bond with them. I sometimes say this phrase: “Summer begins at Roland-Garros”. For me, it's a talisman tournament, a lucky tournament. Roland-Garros is France at its best.

A subject is increasingly at the heart of the news, namely #MeToo in sport. What do you think ?
If it's without exaggeration, without exploitation, it obviously does a lot of good. The problem is that everything is found in the media and on social networks which I like to call “social scourges”. And that, really, bothers me more. 

Do you think that certain disciplines deserve to be monitored more than others? 
No ! I unfortunately believe that it is the same thing in many sports, unfortunately, and that certain sports, such as cycling for doping, or gymnastics and figure skating, which I know well, act as scapegoats. And I don't like that. I unfortunately think that the worst of human nature is present in many sports, if not all sports. 

Your duet with Philippe Candeloro, on figure skating commentary, has become iconic. From the moment you met, was it mad love? 
Not right away, no. I had known him as a skater and he had signed an exclusive contract with a competing channel. As a result, he was not allowed to answer my questions. But once he became a commentator, I would say it was a treat! 

What relationship do you have with him today?
He is a very, very good friend, almost a little brother. 

In fact, we found you in a common project, the show Things are slipping in Tokyo. Tell us about this piece…
It's a detective comedy set in Tokyo, during a world skating championship. We discover what we believe to be the inanimate body of a French skater who is playing for the title that same evening against a Japanese skater. And so there's a whole series of twists and turns. It’s a comedy, which makes this show a treat.

What excites you the most at the moment? 
Passion. Otherwise I wouldn't be here anymore. People sometimes ask me, after 30 years of career, how I do it, but the passion has never left me and the viewers appreciate it. 

Did you dream of the Olympics in France? 
Yes ! It's a great responsibility, it's a great challenge. I hope it goes well and I'm reasonably confident. 

Does France have a chance of winning many medals? What disciplines do you focus on?
Sports like fencing or judo. Sports also perhaps a little more confidential such as shooting or canoeing could smile in our colors. Now, I'm not naive... The two or three great Olympic sports are athletics and swimming, and there, it's more difficult. I still think that France should do honorably in the medal rankings and should appear in the top 10. 

Do you deplore the big salary gaps within disciplines? 
Yes. I even make it a fight. My voice is a drop of water in the ocean. French athletes, particularly in athletics, will defend our colors at the Olympics and live on €2 per month. I find this completely abnormal, even scandalous. Especially compared to remuneration which is totally extravagant in other sports…

Which events will you comment on during the Olympics? 
I am very happy because I will be commenting on the two main Olympic events, swimming and athletics, which are truly the king of Olympic sports. I will also have a sequence that is very close to my heart to help people discover the monuments of Paris and take an interest in the cultural Olympics.

What do you think of the various controversies surrounding the organization of this event?
Today, we only talk about transport and security. Above all, safety. We don't talk about sporting issues at all. And then there is something that shocks me: I haven't seen a single Olympic store in Paris! Not the least. Whether in airports, in train stations where there are 500 people passing through per day... In all the previous games, in Athens, London or Sydney, three years before, there were shops! I don't understand… 

Do you think it will be good to live in Paris during the Olympics?
I'm not sure about that! (Laughs) If I wasn't excited to work on the Games, I'm not sure I would stay in Paris for the three weeks of the Olympics. Otherwise, I must admit that I am very happy to live in Paris, because there is something that is absolutely incomparable here, namely the shows, the theater, the music, the culture. It accompanies my life. 

Security documents were stolen. Do you think the Olympics represent a danger?
It’s obvious that the Olympics represent a potential target, that’s for sure. Now I'm more of an optimistic temperament. You know, in the past, under ancient Greece, there was talk of an Olympic truce... I hope that this Olympic truce will take its full name. And then I add that I hear about hundreds of thousands of law enforcement officers, we will still have to be strong enough to slip through the cracks of this net. 

As someone who has been around athletes for decades, would you have liked to be a great athlete yourself?
No. I wish I was a great singer! The song accompanies my life and I do not hesitate to speak of “taste of before” (Laughs) I consider that Georges Brassens is perhaps a superior artist to many of those we hear today.

Do you still do sports? 

Yes ! So obviously, the years go by (Laughs), but I have been skiing and skating since I was very young. I would hesitate to call my skating figure skating, but Philippe Candeloro gave me skating lessons for free, which goes against his reputation! (Laughs)

Which athlete impressed you the most in an interview?  
The one who impressed me the most, with his kindness, his altruism and his superb education, was Rafael Nadal. He always has a kind word for the public, for his opponent, for the ball boys. He is truly a lord and a gentleman. 

Finally, is there an athlete you would like to interview, but have never had on your microphone?
Yes, but they died. They are French Formula 1 drivers François Cevert and Didier Pironi. These two runners were flamboyant, charismatic. I would have liked to approach them. Otherwise, there is another who has always shown me a wonderful friendship, it is Jean-Claude Killy. He told me one day, “I wish you were by my side to follow my career.” Coming from a champion like him, it really touched me a lot…

Comments collected by Marie Giancani