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 2004 Summer Olympics the last to finish. France at the 2004 Summer Olympics France competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. French athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games of the modern era. The French Olympic Committee sent a total of 308 athletes to the Games, 195 men and 113 women, to compete in 25 sports. France has qualified three archers each in the men's and women's team. French athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event at the 'A'