IOC ‘shocked’ by death of French athletes in helicopter crash

By Karolos Grohmann (Reuters) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) deplored on Tuesday the deaths of three French sports stars, including two Olympic medalists, in a helicopter accident during the filming of a reality TV show. Olympic swimming champion Camille Muffat, bronze medalist boxer Alexis Vastine and sailor Florence Arthaud are among 10 people killed in the collision of two helicopters in Argentina on Monday. “We are shocked by this sad news,” IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of these great athletes who have passed away.” “With them, the world of sport and the Olympic family have lost three of their key members. They were all not only champions in their sport, but they also contributed greatly as role models.” Arthaud, 57, was one of the first women to carve out a place at the highest level of sailing with a 1990 record for the fastest solo crossing of the Atlantic. Muffat, 25, won gold in the 400 meter freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics, silver in the 200 meter as well as a bronze medal in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay. Vastine, 28, won bronze at the Beijing Games four years earlier. The IOC said the Olympic flag would fly at half-mast for three days at its headquarters. The World Swimming Federation (FINA) said Muffat, who retired in 2014 and finished on the podium at the World Championships four times, was an inspiration to young athletes. “The FINA family is shocked by this terrible news,” said FINA President Julio Maglione. “Muffat was a talented swimmer and a human being of great value. She was and will remain a model for French youth and a true source of inspiration for all those who wish to become good swimmers,” said the Uruguayan. Other athletes paid tribute on social media. “A huge thought for Camille, Alexis and Florence and the others. Tragic. They made France and their sport grow,” said Frenchwoman Laure Manaudou, who won the same gold medal as Muffat at the Athens Games in 2004. “She (Muffat) succeeded me, we shouted for her, cried for her victories, we cry for her tragic death. We shared strong moments, advertising campaign photos, we boxed, danced, laughed and now we are in mourning.” Former British swimmer Rebecca Adlington, who won two gold medals at the Beijing Games and a bronze in the 400m freestyle behind Muffat in 2012, remembers her as “genuine and kind”. “Every athlete who wins a gold medal at the Olympic Games is in seventh heaven, but I was able to tell with Camille how much it meant to her,” she added. “She couldn’t stop smiling and when I wished her luck for her 200m later in the week, she smiled and simply told me it didn’t matter anymore because her dream was came true. “Camille was only a year younger than me, she was only 25. She was very inspiring, a tough competitor, an extremely talented and friendly person. She will be missed by many. » (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, additional reporting by Alan Baldwin; editing by Ed Osmond and Pritha Sarkar)