PATHS TO OLYMPUS

Begun in the summer of 2007 by Raymond Depardon and the magazine Sport, with the backing of the Lagardère publishing group, the photographic project Les Sentiers de l’Olympe (Paths to Olympus) shows French athletes preparing for the 2008 Olympiad.

The twelve photographers were chosen by Depardon from among the rising stars of the young generation in the art and documentary fields. Their subjects were promising athletes wearing the French colours in a dozen disciplines including track and field, swimming, riding, badminton, rowing, weightlifting, handball, tennis, judo and fencing.

The result is a series of portraits of a rare authenticity. We see the athletes in the course of their everyday preparations, in the solitude of training undergone far from the passionate excitement of the stadium and the hoped-for moments of glory. Little known to the public, these are scenes of an inner quest for ultimate energy and concentration.

This encounter between two different worlds – photography and sport – is one of reciprocal, intensely human involvement, translated into images through the personal sensibility of each photographer.

Photos: Rémy Artiges, Philippe Brault, Lionel Charrier,

Léa Crespi, Laurent Gudin, Stéphanie Lacombe, Stéphane Lagoutte, Mehrak, Yann Mingard, Malik Nejmi, Marion Poussier, Alain Tendero.

Texts: Valentine Goby.

Project director: Catherine Baduel/SPORT.