Faraj Benlahoucine, Media365: published on Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 11:17 p.m.
Moved by the documentary “Génération Biétry,” Marie-José Pérec paid a poignant tribute to the former journalist who famously covered her Olympic title race in Atlanta.
Last month, Canal+ aired “Génération Biétry,” a 1h23 documentary dedicated to Charles Biétry, the former head of the encrypted channel. Biétry, also a journalist and sports commentator on television, at the age of 82 also served as the president of Paris Saint-Germain from July to December 1998. Suffering from the incurable disease of Charcot, Biétry has touched the world of sports, including a legend, Marie-José Pérec, who paid homage to him on Wednesday on the social network LinkedIn.
“Charles, I don’t know if you will read these words. I saw myself as a young woman, fragile behind the strength. (…) At the Atlanta Games, you didn’t just narrate a race, you told what it cost. You told about the loneliness, the pressure, the silence before the starting gun. You didn’t just comment on sports, you depicted the human struggles, you knew how to put words to our silence with great kindness and rigor,” commented the Olympic champion in the 200m and 400m.
Pérec: “Profoundly admiring of the man”
“Your courage is immense, your dignity moving. Thank you for what you did for sports. Thank you for what you teach us today about life. Thank you, Charles, for your strength, your uniquely humor, your uncompromising gaze on what your life was, and on what your struggle is today. I am profoundly admiring of the man you were, of who you still are, and of this testimony that resonates well beyond sports,” remarked Marie-José Pérec referring to the artificial voice used to echo the thoughts of Charles Biétry, as he fights against the disease and is unable to speak.
“It would be foolish, as apparently there is little time left to live, to spoil these last days with fear. To death, I don’t want to add the fear of death,” stated the artificial voice used in the documentary. The former president of PSG has expressed his desire to plan his death in Switzerland where this practice is legal.
