Experience the Olympic and Paralympic Games from the inside

Charlène Soobben, a French-Mauritian, says how lucky she is to have experienced the Paris Olympics from July 26 to August 11, and to have experienced it again at the Paralympics, which opened on Wednesday. The young forty-year-old was hired as an executive assistant in the business department of the Olympic Organizing Committee (OCOG) for 18 months, managing the agendas of several directors of COJO, living life at 100 miles per hour, enjoying every moment knowing that it was an experience of a lifetime. Portrait.

Charlène Soobben was born 43 years ago in Yvelines, Île-de-France, with whom we have been communicating via email since the beginning of the Olympic Games. Her parents are Mauritians who came to France to settle in the 1980s. The young woman completed her secondary school in Paris and then took courses to obtain diplomas in communication assistant and assistant manager. She then attended the University of Versailles and graduated with honors with a degree in Management and Business Organization, with the option of Project Management.

Charlène Soobben then worked for an international remittance banking institution as Office Manager, Executive Assistant and Personal Assistant to the Managing Director and Chairman of the Board for 12 years.

Universal

She said sports have always been an integral part of her life. “Sports are an integral part of my life. I have loved watching them since I was a child. It was my father who introduced me to sports, the sports atmosphere and the values ​​surrounding it, championships, competitions, surpassing oneself and challenges. The Olympics are undoubtedly my best sports memory from childhood. I watch sports in general, but the Olympics are universal!” She said.

Not only does she follow the games on TV, she also participates in sports. “I’ve always played sports. Now, I’m adapting at a pace that’s consistent with my life as a woman and a mother. （Notes to Editors : She has a 20-year-old son) : Running and track and field are the right sports for me both emotionally and performance-wise, and I practice them every week.

When the young woman learned that COJO was recruiting, she applied to join. She went there regularly with her parents during her childhood and now comes every three to four years. “In my opinion, joining the Organizing Committee will allow me to combine my passion and professional skills on a unique project. Moreover, doing an extraordinary experience in Paris, one of my favorite world cities, motivates me even more! Working on such a project is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the biggest global event in 2024, and just like the athletes, we are mentally and physically prepared.” Then, after 12 years in the financial industry, Charlène Soobben wanted to leave this field and move to a professional field that matched her life values.

She was recruited to COJO in March 2022, 18 months before the Games. She was and still is the Executive Assistant to the Business Unit, reporting to the Senior Executive Director of Business Development and Partnerships and the Senior Executive Director of Commercial Operations and Spectator Experience. “I also work with the Director of Ticketing, the Director of Hotels, the Director of Licensing and the Director of Partnerships. My role is to assist the directors and support the entire department in performing administrative tasks and enforcing internal procedures.”

Tourbillon

Her life has been a whirlwind since the Olympics began, but she has no complaints. “I am responsible for organizing travel, managing directors’ agendas, organizing internal or external meetings with project stakeholders, organizing team meetings and the application of procedures within the department. I am also responsible for invoicing and providing administrative support to all employees in the department.” She also processed accreditation requests, visited the athletes’ village and toured competition venues. “On top of that, we have to be available to the directors at all times based on the topics and emergencies that are managed on a daily basis during the Olympics. You have to be very responsive.” The easiest part of his job is arranging travel and itineraries. “Since I travel so often, it’s easy for me to predict my schedule. I have organizational logic because of my personal experience.”

What is the most difficult part of the job? “The hardest part is managing a complex agenda that changes every day. Bringing directors together to discuss urgent and pressing topics with an obstructed, complex agenda is not easy, and stress management, planning and a sense of logic are essential assets.

For Charlène Soobben, her Mauritian roots as a member of COJO means an opportunity to make Mauritius known and understood. “Promoting a sense of responsibility among Mauritian women.” When asked whether she prefers the Mauritian or French style, Charlène Soobben said she feels first “Woman. I am a balance of two nationalities. Both are inseparable from who I am, my story, my journey. It is my identity and that of my family. I love Mauritius as much as France, most of my family lives in Mauritius, therefore, these are my roots and I cannot live without them. I love my homeland and my identity as much as I love the country of my birth, its history and the life I have built here. Although she was able to meet athletes and Mauritian staff in the athletes’ village during the Games, she has not seen them since. “I hope to make up for that in the Paralympics.”

Although she was a member of the committee, she was able to travel to the Stade de France for track and field events, the Versailles cross-country race, the Le Bourget rock climbing competition, the Villepinte boxing competition, Saint-Denis in the athletes’ village, the Eiffel Tower for beach volleyball, the Pont Alexandre III for triathlon, and the Grand Palais for taekwondo during the Olympics. “Depending on my professional needs, I will also go to other venues during the Paralympics.”

I would just say she’ll go there at the same running pace she did in the Olympics. If she doesn’t have any special expectations for the Olympics compared to France, she doesn’t have any special expectations for the Japan Olympics either, because “We have achieved great things. The Games went well. On the other hand, I found the island’s sporting gem lacking structure and regulation compared to Mauritius. I hope that in the future more Mauritians will participate in more events and that sports and athletes will be taken more seriously.” Charlène Soobben doesn’t know what career she will do after JP closes on September 8th. “But I am open to all career opportunities in the field of sports, administration or events both abroad and in France. I would also like to focus on international and diplomatic relations between France and Mauritius. Due to my expertise, I will continue to carry out my duties as an administrative and executive assistant.” At the same time, she will continue to develop the ASA Office, which was established in February 2020, as an administrator in the arts area. “But most importantly, after these races I will be taking three well-deserved weeks off to transition from this incredible experience!” As far as we know…