2024 Emlyon Olympic Athletes, courtesy photo
The 2024 Olympics are winding down in Paris. One French business school has so many student athletes competing, they might as well be considered the home team.
Based in Lyon but with a campus in Paris, Emlyon has 26 Olympians competing in the Games that started last Friday – the most student competitors they’ve ever had in an Olympics.
Breaking it down, 11 students are pursuing their Executive Master in General Management Online degree, one is in the in-person Executive Master in General Management program, seven are going for their Global BBA, six are pursuing their Champion of His/Her Life certificate, three are in the Unlimited Players Major Program.
One Emlyon athlete, Evan Fournier, is a free agent in the NBA, having played for the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons. Fournier is getting an Online Executive Master in General Management.
SCHOOL’S STRUCTURE ‘SUITS THE CONSTRAINTS & REQUIREMENTS OF ATHLETES’
Evan Fournier, a French basketball player who plays for the New York Knicks in the NBA, is getting his executive master in management from Emlyon — and representing his country in the Olympics. Wikidata photo
No single sport takes the spotlight in this group. Students showcase an impressive range of events, from Basketball to Rowing, Track Cycling, Fencing, Soccer, Handball, Field Hockey, Judo, Para-Judo, Swimming, Pentathlon, Rugby, Surfing, Taekwondo, Archery, and Water Polo. All the Emlyon athletes are representing France.
While the athletes were busy preparing to dive, sprint, and kick into their events, we spoke with school representatives who had plenty to share about these elite students and competitors.
David Boccalini, director of marketing, sales & communication for Emlyon, says the school attracts athletes because of the high level of flexibility for both their studies and their sports, with strong logistical support from the school. “Emlyon’s structure suits the constraints and requirements of athletes, and this makes the difference,” Boccalini says. “This excellent compromise makes them recommend Emlyon to other athletes.”
FLEXIBILITY IN BOTH ATHLETICS AND ACADEMICS
Emlyon has supported over 350 athletes in the past five years, including big names like Thierry Dusautoir, Sébastien Chabal, Frédéric Michalak, and Ronny Turiaf, who have made their mark in rugby and basketball history.
Mickael Romezy, director of sports programs at Emlyon, says athletes are driven competitors who tend to thrive in academic as well as athletic environments. “Athletes are super experts in their field, coming to train and graduate from a major school like ours,” he says. “By having their knowledge and skills acquired through their career academically validated, this allows them to legitimize their place in the company and in their lives after.”
By nature, athletes are always in search of excellence, Romezy says, which is why for both their studies and training they choose Emlyon as the ideal place to support them.
Working on academic projects in parallel with preparation for the Olympics is very difficult, and each athlete has different needs, he says. “For some, the pace does not change from usual and they need to have a decompression valve with classes.”
‘ACADEMICS DON’T DISRUPT ATHLETIC DEMANDS’
Other athletes have adapted to the deadlines and the workload, Romezy says — ensuring that as they came closer to competing in the Games, academics wouldn’t disrupt their dreams.
Emlyon prioritizes the students’ needs and adapts to their agenda accordingly, he says. “For some who need to be 100% focused on their athletic objectives, we place the progress of the courses on hold and pick up where they left off in September,” says Romezy.
They can bet that though they have graduated, Emlyon will be cheering them on for the next two weeks in the Games — and into their future endeavors.
Emlyon Student Olympic Competitors 2024
| Name | Program | Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Yann Spillmann | Global BBA | Athletics |
| Laura Tarantola | Champion of His/Her Life | Rowing |
| Iliana Rupert | Global BBA | Basketball |
| Evan Fournier | Executive Master in General Management Online | Basketball |
| Timothé Vergiat | Global BBA | 3X3 Basketball |
| Mathilde Gros | Global BBA | Track Cycling |
| Yannick Borel | Champion of His/Her Life | Fencing (Epee) |
| Paul Allègre | Global BBA | Fencing (Epee) |
| Ysaora Thibus | Champion of His/Her Life | Fencing (Foil) |
| Delphine Cascarino | Unlimited Players Major Program (UNFP) | Soccer |
| Amandine Henry | Unlimited Players Major Program (UNFP) | Soccer |
| Griedge Mbock | Unlimited Players Major Program (UNFP) | Soccer |
| Lucie Granier | Executive Master General Management Online | Handball |
| Mathilde Pétriaux | Executive Master General Management | Field Hockey |
| Shirine Boukli | Global BBA | Judo (-48kg) |
| Marie-Eve Gahie | Executive Master General Management Online | Judo (-70kg) |
| Assia Touati | Executive Master General Management Online | Swimming (200m Freestyle) |
| Marie Wattel | Executive Master General Management Online | Swimming (100m) |
| Valentin Prades | Executive Master General Management Online | Pentathlon |
| Anne-Cécile Ciofani | Champion of His/Her Life | Rugby 7s |
| Camille Grassineau | Champion of His/Her Life | Rugby 7s |
| Johanne Defay | Executive Master General Management Online | Surfing |
| Magda Wiet-Hénin | Executive Master General Management Online | Taekwondo |
| Lisa Barbelin | Champion of His/Her Life | Archery |
| Orsolya Hertzka | Executive Master General Management Online | Water Polo |
| Nathan Petit | Executive Master General Management Online | Para-Judo |
