Jean-François Lamour (born February 2, 1956, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

) is a French former fencer and current

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and cabinet minister. During his fencing career, Lamour achieved various athletic accomplishments, notably qualifying for the 1987 world championship. He earned two gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal in

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

Olympic events between 1984 and 1988. After retiring from fencing, Lamour entered politics and served as the sports and youth counselor to the

Mayor of Paris The Mayor of Paris (french: Maire de Paris) is the chief executive of Paris, the capital and largest city in France. The officeholder is responsible for the administration and management of the city, submits proposals and recommendations to the C ...

from 1993 to 1995. In 2002, he assumed the position of minister of sport, and later in 2004, he took on additional responsibilities for youth. Lamour is married to Dr. Isabelle Spennato, a former French fencer who currently holds the position of president of the French Fencing Federation.

Athletic career

Lamour commenced his

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...

journey at the age of eight, achieving his first notable victory in 1971 at the French junior championship in sabre fencing when he was 15. Four years later, Lamour reached the semifinals at the 1975 World Championship held in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

. Over the years, he established an impressive national record, clinching the Champion of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

title 13 times between 1977 and 1992. Although Lamour returned without a medal from the 1980

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

in Moscow, it is worth noting that he was the sole member of the French team to do so. In 1983, Lamour participated in the World Championship in Vienna, securing a fifth-place finish. Additionally, he attained a silver medal in the individual sabre event at the

1983 Mediterranean Games The IX Mediterranean Games ( ar, ألعاب البحر الأبيض المتوسط 1983), commonly known as the 1983 Mediterranean Games, were the 9th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Casablanca, Morocco, from 3 to 17 September 1983 ...

. Lamour achieved the pinnacle of his career in 1987 when he became the World Champion in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

. Under the guidance of his new coach László Szepesi, who hailed from

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

, Lamour underwent further training as a part of the French national team. Lamour's accomplishments continued to flourish as he claimed the gold medal at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. Shortly thereafter, he contributed to France's Olympic silver medal in the team tournament. In 1988, Lamour was honored with the Master of Saber prize. A few months later, he secured his second Olympic gold medal in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

. Lamour assumed the role of France's Minister of Sports in 2002.

References

External links

"For Future of Fencing" International Charity Fund website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lamour, Jean-Francois 1956 births Living people Fencers from Paris French male sabre fencers Olympic fencers for France Fencers at the 1980 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for France Olympic silver medalists for France Olympic bronze medalists for France Olympic medalists in fencing Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Deputies of the 13th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 14th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Councillors of Paris Members of Parliament for Paris Fencers at the 1983 Mediterranean Games Mediterranean Games silver medalists for France Mediterranean Games medalists in fencing