The successor of (LSAP) at the ministry of labour, employment and social economy, (LSAP) has also taken over from his party colleague as sports minister, a field he particularly appreciates. A former member of the national youth basketball team and a National 2 player in Soleuvre, he is also a great cycling enthusiast. It is not for nothing that Sanem, the municipality of which he was then mayor, organised the World Cyclo-cross Championships in 2017. That proved to be a media and financial success that could well give ideas for the future...
Julien Carette: You were at the COSL (Luxembourg Olympic and Sports Committee) press conference at the end of last week, at the FLT (Luxembourg Tennis Federation) this weekend, with sports car driver Dylan Pereira in the middle of the week, at the FLF (Luxembourg Football Federation) this Thursday... It seems you are everywhere at the moment, except at the Olympic Games in Beijing…
Georges Engel: I want to go round the important federations so that they know who they are going to work with, but also that I know who I am going to negotiate with. Next to that, there are also a lot of other meetings. For the ministry of sport, but also for the ministry of labour, employment and the social and solidarity economy. With the takeover of these two ministries, my schedule does not allow me to go to Beijing. But, as I have already said, the reason is not political or linked to any boycott.
In an answer to a parliamentary question, you said: "In general, sport and politics must be kept separate (...). Appropriate questions should be asked before a decision is taken on the location of a major sporting event"...
If there is a problem with China or Qatar (which will host the football World Cup in November and December), it should be said before designating them, yes.
I am not a member of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) or FIFA (the federation of international football associations) board. So I don't know the reasons that led to these decisions. I can understand the desire to export one's sport to a country where it is less present, in order to promote it. Like perhaps football in Qatar. But you mustn't forget what else is involved: playing matches in 40 degree weather, moving the event to another time of the year...
I have always thought that the sporting aspect should take precedence over everything else. But sometimes I doubt that this is actually the case with those who make the decisions...
For you, the financial reason takes too much precedence over the rest?
I imagine that there are important financial interests, yes... On a personal level, I have always thought that sport should take precedence over everything else. But sometimes I doubt that this is actually the case with those who make the decisions...
What reforms do you want to implement during your term of office?
There is the law on sports leave that was introduced by my predecessor, Dan Kersch. It will now be negotiated. We are waiting for the opinion of the Council of State...
But there is another project that I would like to table before the end of this legislature. You should know that there is the possibility of embarking on a career as an elite athlete via the army. This is a way of going down the road of professionalism, which is the only way to do it today with social insurance. I would like to open up a civilian career for those who want to try it and do not want to join the army. So it would be a different way of offering the possibility of an income, but also access to social security, to try the adventure of being in the professional sports world.
With the same level of benefits as being an elite athlete in the army?
We'll have to see. I can't tell you yet, as the project has not yet been examined in detail. In the coalition agreement of the current government, it is written: “For those who do not want to join the army, a parallel pathway ('Zivildienst' - civic service of at least three months) will be analysed.” And that's what I'm doing: analysing... I know there have been discussions in the past, but I think this whole project needs to be rethought...
I would like to open up a civilian career for sportsmen and women who want to try the adventure of professionalism and do not want to join the army.
Are there any major sporting events that Luxembourg would like to attract in the not too distant future? The Tour de France comes to mind, as it has only stopped here three times since 2000, the last one being in Mondorf in 2017...
You must know that I am a big cycling fan. I regularly attend stages of the Tour and it was also the municipality of which I was mayor [Sanem] that organised the Cyclo-cross World Championships in Luxembourg in 2017. But for the moment, it is too early to say that we will organise this or that event. I don't hide the fact that there are some ideas, but it would be premature to talk about them. Especially as this does not only concern the ministry of sport. Others must also be involved, notably the ministry of finance, to see if the necessary funds are available...
And then, we already have some major sporting events. I am thinking of the Tour de Luxembourg cycling race, the last edition of which was broadcast in some 200 countries; the women's tennis tournament [the former Luxembourg Open], which is changing format but will retain a good deal of media exposure; the Euro Meet swimming meeting, which attracts some of the world's best swimmers; the marathon...
This summer, the Tour will stop on our doorstep, in Longwy. It's a pity that all the positive spin-offs associated with such an event can't take place here...
When we organised the World Cyclo-cross Championships in Belvaux, a study was carried out on the spin-offs of such an event. And they are indeed quite enormous. Much more important economically and in terms of media coverage than I could have imagined. [The study estimated the positive impact of these world championships on the Luxembourg economy at €12.746m, for a cost of €1.8m; as for the audience, it was measured at €60m viewers worldwide].
It is clear that such an event is not only nation branding, but also an economic contribution in terms of hotels and restaurants, with no less than 30,000 people attending in 2017. In addition to offering our country a top-level competition in a top-level sport.
The Luxembourg sports museum will not be a showcase with three cups in it, but a large-scale project, with a budget of around €20m.
Afterwards, it was also a success because there was a real political will behind it, at the level of the municipality of Sanem. We invested a lot of resources, both human and financial. We had committed half a million euros to the adventure and someone like Eric Leyder, the president of the organising committee, had been freed up for two years to prepare the event. This is no mean feat. However, if I had to do it again, I would sign up straight away! It was a great experience.
In terms of major infrastructures, we have just opened the Luxembourg national stadium and the Mondorf velodrome was announced last December. Are there any other major projects in the pipeline?
The bill concerning the velodrome has indeed been submitted and the PAP [special development plan] has been voted on by the Mondorf municipal council. Dan Kersch also presented the project for a sports museum, which will be located in the new Nonnewisen district in Esch. It will not be a showcase with three cups in it, but a large-scale project with a budget of around €20m. I would also be remiss if I did not mention the national athletics stadium in Cents-Fetschenhof and the investments made in the Coque in order to support high-level sportsmen and women: a training room allowing them to evolve as if they were at an altitude of 5,000 metres, cryotherapy, extreme heat cabins, etc.
€120m will be invested by the state in sports infrastructure via various municipal projects. But, for the moment, we are still analysing what the different municipalities are proposing…
This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.