Clubs, associations and local authorities, but also companies and major sport distribution companies will organise hundreds of fun and friendly, free of charge and inclusive sport events everywhere in France. According to the ministry of youth and sports coordinating this new event, the idea is to generate “a true national momentum” to foster the practice of regular physical activity, bring value to the role of sports in society and improve the social bonds with sport values.
Sharing positive values
As the Minister of Sports explained at the launch of the event, the Sports Festival will be “a major new celebration day to bring people together every year at the end of summer.” During this period of new academic term, the Sport Dat “will celebrate everything that sports and physical activity bring to the daily life: physical and mental well-being, self-confidence, respect of others, the taste for sharing, and the spirit of solidarity”.
In 2025, the first edition will be an opportunity to celebrate the first anniversary of the Paris Olympic Games 2024, but also the perfect opportunity to start practicing, or more generally to “share positive values”, such as respect, mutual help, self-surpassing.
Free of charge and inclusive activities planned in the programme include:
introduction to various sport disciplines for all ages, to try new sports and have fun, with families or friends;discovering wellness activities to understand the benefits of physical and sport activities;meeting the people that make sport what it is, every day: athletes, para-athletes, volunteers, sport executives, and meeting “inspiring champions, feel the emotion of sport”.
Events combining celebration and sport
Events are planned throughout France, and all may be accessed via an interactive map, with listings by type of activity, target audience, and location. To date, over 2,000 events combining sport and festivity have already been scheduled nationwide, including in overseas territories, around September 14. About 200 activities are organised by student associations or higher education institutions, especially for students.
Highlight of these celebrations, the Ministry of Sports also announced an event for the general audience, organised with the French Olympic and Paralympic Committees and supported by the Paris city hall, to be held “in the heart of the capital”. The day will close with a special moment: the Paris 2024 Olympic Cauldron will “burn one last time before being symbolically extinguished, marking the end of summer celebrations dedicated to the first anniversary of the Games.” This special moment will close “a unique event in the life of our Nation, one that gave us so many moments of joy and togetherness.”
A new research programme dedicated to sport high performance
Sport is not only celebrations, it’s also research focusing on competition and sports performance! New deadlines expect athletes, like during the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 and the Winter Olympic Games in the French alps in 2030.
That’s why on July 4th, the French Minister of sports and Minister of higher education and research announced the launch of a new research programme dedicated to high sports performance, with a 20 million euros investment as part of the France 2030 plan.
This programme listing new objectives is part of the continuity of a research programme implemented to better assist athletes scientifically during their preparation for the Paris Games 2024.
In practical terms, several priority focuses in various fields have been assigned to this programme to structure sports scientific research, such as:
in the field of biomechanics and sciences of practice, improving technical gestures and adapting to extreme environments;in terms of sports technology and equipment, optimising gear and seeking “marginal gains” (such as those provided by technical fabrics);in terms of mental preparation and athletes’ physiology, preventing injuries, managing stress, fighting burnout, studying the effects of sleep and media exposure;and in terms of artificial intelligence, use predictive AI for recovery and injury prevention.