Paris Saint-Germain star forward Kylian Mbappe has announced his desire to represent France on home soil at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
After not getting permission from his club to take part in Tokyo 2020, Mbappe has set eye on the gold medal in the next Games. The World Cup winner stated that he cannot miss out on the opportunity to represent his country in the Summer Games.
"It was while watching the London Olympics in 2012 that I realized the importance of this global competition. The Games are "THE" benchmark for sport, the absolute holy grail that all sportsmen and women in the world want to compete in and experience at least once in their life," Mbappe stated in an open letter published in L'Equipe as per goal.com.
Mbappe went on to explain how watching the London Games in 2012 inspired his dream of one day leading out France at the world's biggest sporting event.
"That's when I said to myself, I want to be there too. I want to experience the Paris Games. It's a strong inner feeling, as if I were destined to participate in this huge celebration in my city, in my country, a hundred years after the last competition in France (the Summer Games).
PSG refused Mbappe permission to take part in the delayed 2020 Games in Tokyo, along with Brazil duo Neymar and Marquinhos, arguing that it would disrupt pre-season preparations following his participation in Euro 2020 earlier in the summer.
"Already, in 2020, for the Tokyo games, I wanted to participate, it was an objective but they quickly pulled the rug out from under my feet," he said of missing out on the competition.
"These Games will be in France, they are those of the centenary in Paris. It's not the biggest competition in football, but you have to play the Games in your career. It is something unheard of when you are in love with sports," he added.
The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the biggest event ever organised in France. The Olympic games will take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
( With inputs from ANI )
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