Student Augustin Maillefer took part in the very first Youth Olympic Games, in 2010. Now an ambassador for this year’s Games, the international rower shares his experiences with young children.
He remembers it as if it were yesterday. In 2010, the then Swiss junior champion in the skiff – a one-person rowing boat – Augustin Maillefer, aged 17, flew to Singapore, where the first Youth Olympic Games were taking place. Thrust into a completely unfamiliar environment, he set foot in Asia for the first time, discovered a new culture, immersed himself in the Olympic spirit, was initiated into the art of the interview and met people of all nationalities. A brilliant foretaste of what the 26 year-old from Renens, who now rows with other adults, would later experience. After qualifying twice for the Olympic Games in the quadruple sculls, he came fifth[A1] in Final B in London in 2012 and first in Final B in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The athlete is now training for the Tokyo Olympic Games, which will take place this summer.
This elite sportsman is not only a role model for the next generation but was selected by the Lausanne 2020 organising committee in 2018 as one of its 14 ambassadors. This is a voluntary role, which involves representing the Olympic spirit across Switzerland and neighbouring France, where the various events are planned. Despite his 30 hours of training a week in Sarnen (OW), the headquarters of the Swiss rowing team, and his Master’s specialising in sports teaching in Lausanne, the student from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences still manages to devote time to his new role. “It feels perfectly natural to me to promote the event, because I support its values. It’s also an opportunity for me to pass on the legacy I received to others. After all, it’s not that long ago that I was where they are now,” comments Augustin, who discovered rowing at the age of 12.
Sparking the interest of young people... and the not so young
The rower has seen schoolchildren stare at him wide-eyed when they hear his stories of being an athlete in the classrooms and community groups he visits to talk about the YOG. “They’re certainly not shy about asking some pretty personal questions. Some ask me if I sleep a lot, if I dream that I’m winning, if I have nightmares… I try to spark their curiosity, encourage them to have a go and make them aware of the importance of physical activity for health – after all, it brings so many benefits! If our conversations encourage people to take up a sport, then so much the better.” The ambassador sometimes spends time on educational topics too, such as nutrition. “I’ve had children proudly telling me that they’ve eaten their vegetables. Which at least means they’re getting the message” says the 1m94 rower with a smile.
For this international rower, the YOG are aimed at society as a whole. “They’re a kind of springboard for popular sport. The challenge is encouraging the local population to get involved. And it’s a brilliant challenge, but it’s not a foregone conclusion!” he comments, noting that he’s currently seeing a lack of interest in physical exertion among young children. Particularly, during the 12-minute run he did with a group of schoolchildren as part of an initiative organised by the Canton of Vaud: “When I was a child, everyone ran, or at least tried to... Now, almost all of them end up walking, even the ones who could carry on. It’s as though stopping is now normal and sweating is no longer acceptable.” It’s a change of attitude he has seen in families, too: “At Lausanne Sport Aviron, where I started out, I found out that parents had phoned up just because their child was a bit stiff.”
Friendships and memories
When Augustin looks back at his experience in Singapore, he talks more about conversations and meetings than endurance and determination. For him, it is the social and cultural aspect of the Games that gives them their added value. “I’ve never found the same thing at championships, where you don’t see much apart from the water you’re going to be competing on. Besides,” he says, “the philosophy of the YOG is not about winning at any price. Who remembers who won medals at the previous events?” He himself has to think for a few moments to remember who beat him in 2010. Far from seeking to downplay the value of competitions, the rower from Vaud simply wants to highlight the value of the event from a training perspective. “The aim is to allow athletes to return home having learnt something positive for their health and well-being. That’s why the educational programme has been introduced.”
The Olympic values include excellence, respect (represented by the rings) and friendship (symbolised by the flame, which Augustin Maillefer himself carried onto the UNIL campus on 3 October). For him, it’s this third aspect of the YOG that is so important. “The few days I spent in Singapore really opened my mind. It’s not often you get the chance to meet horse riders or archers!” he explains, having lived at the time with Swiss athletes from a wide range of disciplines. He made numerous friendships and in particular, recalls getting on well with a group of Vietnamese athletes, with whom he could only communicate using gestures. “I was afraid it was going to be a long day but in the end, we all laughed a lot. When you move, it’s easier to interact with other people and things move along more quickly,” he believes.
Stunned by the enthusiasm and devotion of volunteers in Singapore, “always friendly and raring to go” to help both athletes and tourists, Augustin Maillefer knows how important their role is in creating a hospitable environment. Will Lausanne be able to recreate a similar atmosphere? “We’ll see. If so, people will remember it the way I did,” comments the elite athlete.