Months and months of source-building and knowledge-building led to landing an officially branded “The AP Interview” with the boss of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Tony Estanguet — and his first extensive comments on the raids that are now casting a shadow on the whole event.
A veteran of three decades of Olympic Games, Paris chief correspondent John Leicester secured and led the interview. He dug deep to research the investigations, obtaining exclusive material from financial prosecutors about their probes that he used to question Estanguet. Video journalist Alex Turnbull scoped out locations, rented lights and speedily set up and led the video production with Oleg Cetinic and Masha Macpherson. Christophe Ena found a way to make it all photographically interesting despite the challenges of a sit-down interview.
AP was the first to have a full interview with Estanguet after the probes were announced, and the interview remains unmatched by competitors. Other media did not have the exclusive material from financial prosecutors. While the interview came out the same day France was engulfed in riots, the violence called new attention to Paris’ preparations for the Olympics and potential threats from social unrest.