No one tells us to recruit them: like Kaylia Nemour, dual

She was one of the hopes of French gymnastics. At 21, Djenna Laroui left the French team. As of Tuesday, April 21st, she is preparing to compete in her first African championships with her new selection: Algeria. Following Kaylia Nemour’s remarkable departure, gold medalist with Algeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Djenna Laroui has taken the same path.

Others have followed before, such as Adam Cogat in 2024, Louna Hamames-Moallic in June 2025, or Lena Khenoun in March 2026, as noted by Ouest-France. But there is no recruitment by Algeria, assures Nadia Massé, who works for the development of gymnastics with the Algerian federation. “We are not here to steal from anyone,” assures this former French coach. “Nobody tells us, ‘You have to recruit them.’ For a subject to result, it has to come from them.”

These arrivals are now golden opportunities for Algeria to shine on the international stage. “This positions Algeria,” continues Nadia Massé. “Within the Algerian population, it makes little girls dream and there is real enthusiasm for gymnastics.”

Regarding Djenna Laroui, she was a substitute at the Paris Games and had been suspended for doping for six months just days before the start of the competition. One of her tests had revealed a positive result for salbutamol, a product intended to treat asthma. The gymnast then explained she had been “misled” by an “ambiguous” medical prescription. Returning to competition in 2025 with her French teammates, Djenna Laroui won the bronze in the team events at the 2025 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Leipzig, Germany.

This choice to switch from France to Algeria also triggered a wave of hatred and harassment against the gymnast on social media. Djenna Laroui filed a complaint last week for cyberbullying after this wave of insults on social networks. An investigation has been opened and is now being handled by the National Pole for Combating Online Hate of the Paris prosecutor’s office, as reported by franceinfo on Tuesday, April 21st, according to a close source. “If Djenna had joined the Canadian or Spanish federation, there would never have been such a hate campaign,” explained her lawyer Nabil Boudi. “She was targeted because of her Algerian identity. That’s why we are pleased that the racist nature has been recognized for all the offenses.”