Olympic Games: 6 Sciences Po athletes compete in Tokyo!

From 23 July, they will represent their teams in Tokyo ... but also a little Sciences Po! Six athletes selected for the 2021 Olympic and Paralympic Games are students in Sciences Po’s Preparatory Certificate for high-level athletes (fr). And for the third time, the French flag will be carried by an alumnus of this programme: Stéphane Houdet will be one of the flag bearers of the French delegation, after Teddy Riner at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 and Michaël Jérémiasz at the Paralympic Games that same year.

Designed to enable athletes to combine their sporting activities with higher education studies, the Certificate for high-level athletes (CSHN) offers flexible multidisciplinary courses. Students benefit from reduced tuition fees thanks to the support of loyal partners. Since its creation in 2007, the CSHN has welcomed nearly 200 students. Its alumni and students include some of the country's top sportsmen and women - and the 2021 Olympians are no exceptions! Discover their profiles!

Lucas Diallo: Judo, "under 73 kg" category

Lucas Diallo started judo at an early age, around 7 years old, and started practicing competitively at 13 years old. On the advice of judoka Mewen Ferey-Mondesir, himself an alumnus of the programme for high-level athletes, he joined the CSHN at Sciences Po after high school. Now 24 years old, he has been admitted to a Master’s in Public Policy at the School of Public Affairs, specialising in security and defence, for the start of the 2021 academic year. In Tokyo, he will represent Burkina Faso, his father's country, in the "under 73kg" category.

Tim Mourniac: Sailing, Nacra 17

23 year old Breton, Tim Mourniac has been a high level sportsman since 2014, and is a student at Sciences Po in his 3rd year of the CSHN - whose Instagram account he hosts! He holds 17 national podiums, as well as numerous titles: 2016 Nacra 15 world champion, 2016 Flying league winner, 2016 2nd Tour Voile, 2017 Tour Voile youth ranking winner, 2018 Tour Voile winner, 2019 3rd Tour Voile, 2020 8th Nacra 17 European Championship ... He will be present at the Olympic Games in Tokyo as a training partner and substitute. His next goal: the 2024 Olympic Games!

Nwal-Endéné Miyem: Basketball, captain of the French women's team

Originally from Reims, Nwal-Endéné Miyem (better known by her nickname, Endy Miyem) comes from a family very attached to basketball. She is the founder of the Miyem Basket Academy, which organises basketball-related sports events for children and teenagers. She joined the Bourges club this year and participated in the EuroBasket Women 2021 from 17 to 23 June, before going to Tokyo as captain of the France women's national basketball team.

Diandra Tchatchouang, Basketball, French women's team

Diandra Tchatchouang, a native of Villepinte, began her basketball career at the club of La Courneuve. In 2019, she created her association Study Hall 93, which is aimed at young people from La Courneuve and aims to avoid wandering between school and the gym by offering them a free hour of study between the end of classes and the beginning of training. In 2020, she joined the Paris 2024 athletes' commission and added to the association a language training project for young members of local sports clubs to enable them to participate in the 2024 Olympics as volunteers. She also founded the "Take Your Shot" initiative with her supplier Nike, which aims to encourage young female basketball players in Seine-Saint-Denis to believe in their dreams. Diandra Tchatchouang recently celebrated her 100th selection with the French national team - a jersey she will proudly wear alongside her team in Tokyo!

Coraline Vitalis: Fencing, Epee

Coraline Vitalis, originally from Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe, started fencing at the age of 8. She signed her first victory in the World Cup in 2018 in Havana. European team champion in 2017 and 2018, European individual champion in 2019, she is the only French representative in epee fencing at the Tokyo Olympics.

Yvan Wouandji: Football 5-a-side

Born in 1993 in Douala, Cameroon, Yvan Wouandji has been playing football since childhood. He became blind at the age of 10 and started playing five-a-side football at the age of 13. He has been a member of the French 5-a-side football team since 2010, and works in schools to promote blind football. He also works as a consultant for sports media. After his sporting career, he would like to continue his involvement in disability awareness and work in journalism. European champion with the French team in 2011 at only 18 years old, vice-champion of Europe in 2012, the promising striker for the Tokyo Paralympic Games is also an ambassador for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

The Certificate for top athletes is supported by FDJ, EDF, the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation, BNP Paribas Banque Privée and BNP Paribas.

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