Eight months before the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, between 10 and 20% of French athletes still in the running to qualify remain looking for funding, according to the French Sports Foundation. To support them, the institute facilitates their connection with companies.
Published on: 11/23/2023 – 6:00 p.m.
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Eight minutes to convince. In a room at the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (Insep), 80 French athletes met on Wednesday November 22 with around sixty companies in the hope of raising funds to finance their qualification course for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
« Sponsors could help me gain experience while traveling », argues Sya Dembélé at the table of a company. At 16, the high school student, member of the French breakdance team – one of the new disciplines in Paris in 2024 – has a chance of a medal in Paris: French number one, she is also a bronze medalist at the World Championships at the end of September in Leuven.
The athlete benefits from support from the French Dance Federation, a contract with a sponsor as well as help from the local branch of his bank, but funds are still lacking. “ I am a minor and I need a companion to travel, which doubles the costs, she explains. I have six months left before competing in the Olympic qualifying tournaments (TQO, Editor’s note). Traveling would allow me to draw inspiration from other dancers, from what is being done elsewhere. It’s very important in our sport. »
A contract worth 20,000 euros
Encouraging companies to support athletes is one of the aspects of the Performance Pact initiated in 2014 by the French Sports Foundation. The system based on sponsorship allows companies to finance athletes up to 20,000 euros, in exchange for a tax exemption of 60% of their donation. They are then free to negotiate the terms of the contract with the selected athlete. This can involve publishing promotional messages on social networks or participating in events within companies.
« We can obviously offer them financial support, but it is also a question of mentoring: establishing a partnership, giving advice, explains Brieux Férot, development director of the So Press group. We can also help them tell their stories, some have extraordinary trajectories and don’t even know it. »
The first of these meetings called “Pacte Dating” was organized on September 20. It brought together 70 athletes and 35 companies and allowed the signing of ten contracts.
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Athletes looking for funding
Eight months before the Olympic Games, it is difficult to quantify the number of athletes lacking money. The French Sports Foundation estimates that 10 to 20% of athletes competing for the Games are still looking for funding. This summer, French sprinter Wided Atatou, finalist in the 4×100 meters relay at the Tokyo Olympics, was added to the long list of athletes obliged to appeal to the generosity of Internet users with the launch of an online prize pool.
« In 2016, 60% of French athletes lived below the poverty line, recalls the director of the French Sports Foundation, Thierry Braillard. Today, the situation is much better, but it is true that there are still athletes who still need money to survive and improve their performances: to pay for a nutritionist, a mental trainer or additional physiotherapy sessions. These are small details, but they make the difference and allow athletes to excel in order to obtain the medal. »
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