November 2007 strikes in France retire with full pension benefits after 37.5 years rather than 40 years. The Sarkozy administration claims the current pension system allows some public sector workers to retire as early as age 50. The government calculated the cost of these early-retirement benefits at $7 billion a year. President Nicolas Sarkozy felt that his victory in the 2007 presidential election gave him a mandate to carry out labour reforms, stating "I said before I was elected what I would do," and "we will do these reforms because they have to be done." He declared the strikes a test of political will. "I
France at the 2008 Summer Olympics Laure Manaudou. France will have two entrants in synchronized swimming, competing in the duet event. France at the 2008 Summer Olympics France sent a team of 323 athletes to the 2008 Summer Olympics. France will send archers to the Olympics for the twelfth time. France qualified a full team of three women by placing eighth in the women's team event at the 2007 World Outdoor Target Championships. The nation had no men qualify at the world tournament, but Romain Girouelle earned the nation one spot in the men's individual competition at the European qualifying tournament. The French athletics team, composed