Following last month’s national elections, which saw Emmanuel Macron re-elected for a second term as French president, France now has a new sports minister. Amélie Oudéa-Castéra was appointed Minister of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. She succeeds Roxana Maracineanu. Unlike her predecessor, however, Oudéa-Castéra is a full cabinet minister instead of holding a deputy position. The role is key in France’s new government, considering that Paris hosts the 2024 Summer Olympics. Indeed, the upcoming mega-event is reflected in the new title of the ministry, which includes the reference to both the Olympics and Paralympics.
Prior to her new appointment, Oudéa-Castéra had been director-general of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) since March 2021. Before that, she held executive roles at French retailer Carrefour and the insurance firm AXA. Furthermore, she previously had a junior and professional tennis career, reaching three girls’ singles Grand Slam semi-finals at the 1993 US Open, 1994 French Open and 1994 Wimbledon Championships. Both Oudéa-Castéra and President Macron studied at the National School of Administration (ENA), with both graduating in 2004. Oudéa-Castéra is one of 17 ministers in the government of France’s new Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, who herself was appointed to the post earlier this month.
