These brothers who dream of participating as a family in the Paris Olympic Games

High-level sport is sometimes, often, always passionately, a family affair, a tradition that endures over time, in a village, in a region. France illustrates this phenomenon, with siblings who have been shining for decades. The brothers Tony and Patrice Estanguet, medalists in canoeing at the Olympic Games between 1996 and 2012, are a perfect example, as are the swimmers Laure and Florent Manaudou, the fencers Damien and Gaël Touya and the athletes Renaud and Valentin Lavillenie.

Some siblings are preparing, more or less jointly, for the Paris Olympic Games to appear there together. This is the case of Nikola and Luka Karabatic, 39 and 35 years old, who will try to add a new gold medal to their immense handball record, but also of Félix and Alexis Lebrun, raw talents of French table tennis under the spotlight in recent months, who will be keen to shine in the face of the Chinese armada. But they are not alone. two other French sports tandems are touching on the Olympic Games.

Christo (22 years old) and Tomi (25 years old) Popov, numbers 1 and 2 in French badminton, are respectively 21st and 25th in the world rankings. But only one place will be reserved for a Frenchman in the final men's singles draw, unless both join the top 16, which is more than unlikely.

Healthy competition reigns between the two brothers, who are very close. “It’s not because it’s an Olympic year that we have to struggle in terms of the world rankings,” says Christo, confidently. “Whatever happens, we will be proud that it is someone from “Team Popov” who qualifies for the Olympic Games in singles. It’s already an achievement for the family that there are two of us from the same family competing for a single place,” proudly explains Christo, the youngest.

Also read: Badminton: everything you need to know about this sport

Born in Bulgaria, Tomi arrived in France at the age of 6 with his parents and his little brother Christo, then aged 1 and a half years. After the fall of the USSR in 1991, which led to a restructuring and a downward reconsideration of high-level sport in their country, the Popov family decided to go into exile in the early 2000s. “I was thrown into the deep end in France even though I didn't speak the language, it was complicated for me,” admits Tomi, in now impeccable French. “Sport has been a refuge for me, everyone is equal in a gym. Then I learned the language at school, in six months, and it worked out,” he adds, looking back on his childhood.

For his part, Christo experienced this radical change of life more easily since he arrived at a younger age in Fos-sur-Mer, where the two brothers still live. “I grew up faster than the others, I only stayed with older people so that’s what gave me the maturity I have today,” adds Christo. “While I was in CM2 and Christo in CP, I stayed with my brother a lot. I have always had this role of “protective brother”, whether in everyday life or in competitions,” adds Tomi.

Badminton is a family affair for the Popovs, who have “been immersed in it” since “their earliest childhood”, as the older brother tells it. The father, Toma, known as “senior”, is a former Bulgarian badminton champion. He has also been the coach of his two sons forever, and cannot stand either of them when they compete. Their mother and grandmother were also in the sport as referees. The Fosseans have always been inseparable, which is how their father describes them: “They are two brothers. Even if there is sometimes tension, two minutes later they are reconciled. They are brothers above all. Even if they argue over very important issues, the family spirit remains above everything. They are two brothers who help each other. One advances, the other catches up, there is emulation between them. They adore each other. »

Tomi and Christo have the same training program, in Fos-sur-Mer, where they train three times a day. Off the field, they always live together, in the family home. “We are not at home 80% of the time of the year, so renting apartments is a bit stupid. But everyone has their own private life. When they have free days, one goes with his girlfriend on the left, the other goes to do something with his girlfriend on the right… Everyone enjoys their free time as they wish of course,” smiles their father, who coaches also his third son, Boris, who also aspires to become a professional badista. “From the outside it looks like he has no pressure. But from the inside, I think so. Unfortunately, I'm on the move a lot, so I don't have much time to devote to him, but I do the best I can and he also trains with club coaches. He also wants to stay in sport, maybe become a coach, like me,” Toma brightens.

Today, Tomi and Christo are equal, or almost. The score goes in favor of the eldest one day, then in favor of the youngest the next. At the French championships, at the beginning of February, the two Frenchmen met for the third consecutive time in the final. Christo won this year, as in 2022, and unlike 2023. The younger brother has taken the lead in recent weeks, with a title in Germany and a semi-final in a major tournament in Birmingham, where his brother inclined entry.

In doubles, they also won the 2024 French championships together, and can hope to compete in the Olympic Games. They are ranked 45th in the world and, same fight as in singles, they will have to be French number 1 to hope to return to the Arena Porte de la Chapelle, which they discovered last March during the French Open. However, Lucas Corvée and Ronan Labar, 40th in the world, are leading the way. The French contingent will be set for April 28, needless to add that the next tournaments will be crucial for the two brothers.

They too are fusional. Besides, don’t call them by their first names. But “the Mawem brothers.” It’s their nickname, their public name, their trademark. These two climbers, aged 39 (for Bassa) and 33 (for Mickaël), took advantage of their brotherhood to distinguish themselves from ordinary athletes. This is evidenced by their presence on social networks, since the two brothers born 17,000 kilometers from each other (the first in Nouméa, the second in Nîmes), only have one account, on Instagram, TikTok, where they are followed by more than 300,000 people.

“We love each other, but in fact we have no choice (laughs). Since we started this project (to make a living from climbing), we have done everything to make it work together. We never talked about Mickaël and Bassa Mawem, but always about the Mawem brothers,” admits Mickaël. The two men share everything, or almost. “Today, our partnerships are done together. If a brand contacts me but doesn't want to work with Bassa, we don't go there. What drives us, what motivates us to give our all, is the fact that we do everything together,” adds the younger brother.

Also read: Climbing: everything you need to know about this sport

As for Tomi and Christo Popov, the Olympic Games mean a lot to this pair. But everything remains to be done for Mickaël, who has not yet won his ticket for Paris 2024, despite his world title in 2023. Which represents a little worry for his big brother. “My first goal is to get my brother (who specializes in bouldering) to join me,” admits Bassa, before even thinking about his performances. “I would like to have this last experience with him. »

A final mountain to overcome for Bassa and Mickaël, who will end their sporting careers together after the Paris Games. “Today, if my brother no longer climbed, I would have stopped, and vice versa,” says Mickaël. We started this project (their career) together and, from the start, we said to ourselves that we would finish it together. It’s not something we wrote in a contract (smile), but it’s in us. He (Bassa) is my source of motivation to stay at this level. »

Needless to say, they are very close. And this relationship is not new. “From 13 to 16 years old, I did a lot of stupid things… Mickaël always threw me at our mother. One day, I told myself that I was going to put him in my bullshit, that way he wouldn't be able to denounce us anymore. Since then, I always had something to say to him “if you throw me, I'll throw you”, so he stopped,” laughs Bassa, a speed specialist, who keeps precious memories of their childhood, difficult and marked by insecurity.

Unlike the Popovs, the Mawem family is not immersed in climbing. Nor in sport, for that matter. It’s just a story between Mickaël and Bassa. Born into a family of six children, the two men nevertheless have a very close bond with their family, as their big sister, Olivia, confides: “It’s an exceptional duo. They have a very strong sense of family. Even if they don't always agree, it's never felt. One does not go without the other ".

What brings this large family together “is this desire for success, whether sporting or not. A desire for success that we all share. We don’t just want it, we put things in place to do it,” says Mickaël, proud and sure of himself, like the determination of the family members in everything they do. After their career, “Miky Max” – as Bassa nicknames him – and his big brother will continue to develop their climbing gym, opening in 2021 in Colmar. But for now, the Mawem's minds are focused on the Olympic Games.