The Incredible Journey of a Torchbearer: Farid Medjoub, ESCP 2020, at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Leadership and Generosity: The Two Driving Forces Behind Farid’s Olympic Torch Relay

Farid Medjoub’s journey, ESCP 2020 graduate, is defined not only by his academic success at ESCP but also by his unwavering dedication to the world of sports. As a national handball referee, elected to the Board of Directors of the French Federation of University Sports, and actively involved in promoting gender equality in sports, he has consistently embodied the values of generosity and leadership. These qualities naturally led him to his role in the Olympic Torch Relay.

Lighting the Flame and the Emotional Relay in Grasse

Born just a hundred kilometers from Grasse, Farid saw this as a symbol of continuity in his life’s story. The journey didn’t stop in Grasse, though—it continued in Nice, where Farid worked with the local organizing team, ensuring that every step of the relay was meticulously executed in the spirit of the Games and ESCP values. It was, in a way, a preview of his upcoming summer experience as a volunteer for the Olympic Committee in Paris.

Lighting the Olympic Cauldron in Nice

Farid’s torch relay journey culminated with the lighting of the cauldron in Nice by Stéphane Diagana, ESCP 2004, a champion athlete and gold medalist at the World Championships in 1997 and 2003, as well as at the 2002 European Championships.

At Least Eight ESCP Alumni in the Olympic Torch Relay

Farid wasn’t the only one representing ESCP in the torch relay. Adèle Stern, ESCP 2019, carried the torch in Libourne on May 23 and joined the organizing team for the Paris 2024 Olympics. That same day, Valérie Barlois, ESCP 1995, gold medalist in team épée at the Atlanta 1996 Games, participated in the relay in Bordeaux. Brice Guyart, ESCP 2006, who became the youngest French Olympic champion in fencing at the age of 19 in Sydney in 2000, carried the flame on May 22 in Bordeaux. Léa Got, ESCP 2013, co-founder of Hipli, took part in the relay in Le Havre on July 5. Other notable alumni like Guillaume Seneclauze, President of Monoprix & Naturalia, and Margaux Paris, Global Operations PMO Manager at CEVA Logistics, also marked this historic event.

Watch the full video on Farid’s Olympic journey and feel the spirit of the Games through his eyes.

This film was directed by Sébastien Courbet.