7.3 Sport, youth fitness and physical activity
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The drafting and implementation of health and well-being policies usually lead to annual national plans being drawn up that set out the Government's priorities in terms of health.
The National Health Sport Plan 2019-2024 is most often part of the overall orientations of the National Health Strategy. Its goal is to promote physical activity and sport as "a determinant, in its own right, of health and well-being for all, all throughout life".
This strategy is articulated with other plans. The aim is to promote sport to all audiences, with a special focus on reducing social inequalities in access to physical activity and sport and the development of physical activity.
• Promoting health and well-being through physical activity and sports
• The development and use of physical activity adapted to therapeutic aims
• Protecting the health of athletes and strengthening the safety of practices and practitioner
These multi-year strategies are then implemented at the regional level in partnership with the Regional Health Agencies.
For example, the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Health have implemented a National Healthy Sport Strategy 2019-2024, which is part of the dynamics of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The 2019-2024 National Sport and Health Strategy is based on 4 axes:
1. Promoting health and well-being through physical activity and sport;
2. The development and use of adapted physical activity for therapeutic purposes;
3. The protection of the health of sportsmen and women and the reinforcement of the safety of participants;
4. The reinforcement and dissemination of knowledge.
This strategy also meets the objectives of reducing social and territorial inequalities in access to physical activity and sport.
Some actions of the strategy :
- Promotion of physical and sports activities (PSA) among schoolchildren and students, in particular by relying on the network of young health ambassadors and the "Generation 2024" label or "Sport Wednesdays",
- Promoting the practice of physical activity among young people under the supervision of the judicial protection of youth in order to support them in their project to return to society,
- The reinforcement of synergies in the promotion of physical activity as a factor of health and well-being between school and university federations, and sports federations in the action plans of multiparty agreements (sports federations, ministries concerned, school and university federations).
- The deployment of sport and health centres throughout the country. These centres are open to all publics, especially young people, who need to (re)start practising physical activity for well-being and health. They also have a role of support (education) towards autonomy in the relationship of each person to the practice of PSA for health purposes.
The strategy is based on a multi-partner governance model:
At the national level, the Inter-ministerial Committee for Health, created by Decree No. 2014-629 of 18 June 2014, is the body responsible for validating the strategy, monitoring its proper implementation and deciding on reorientations. It is consulted once a year and relies on the preparatory work of the restricted standing committee.
A steering committee (COPIL) meets at least once a year. Scientific orientations are dealt with by the members of the Scientific Group, which is composed of independent personalities from the human and social sciences, sport, STAPS (science and techniques of physical activities and sport), public health and epidemiology. The COPIL includes the central administrations contributing to the implementation of the strategy, representatives of the regional health agencies, the regional academic delegations for youth, commitment and sports (DRAJES), local authorities, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), the French Paralympic Sports Committee (CPSF), the National Public Health Agency, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses), the National Observatory for Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour (ONAPS) and the Institute for Bio-Medical Research and Epidemiology of Sport (IRMES), the CNAMTS.
At the regional level, the decentralised services of the Ministry of Sports and the regional health agencies ensure the implementation of the National Sport and Health Strategy. In conjunction with local players, they jointly promote the development of sport.
The Ministry in charge of Sport promotes and acts in favour of access for all to sporting activities and seeks to reduce inequalities in access, particularly for women.
Encouraging women to take up sport
In France, women have half as much access to sport as men, particularly in certain areas. The rate of female members in certain very popular sports federations is only 4%. And only 20% of women who play sport do so in a club.
In 2021, the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel in partnership with the Ministry of Sports and with the support of the Secretary of State for Equality between Women and Men and the Fight against Discrimination, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) and the French Paralympic and Sports Committee (CPSF), have launched the Women's Sport operation. The aim of this operation to promote women's sport in the media is to encourage the audiovisual media (television and radio stations) to include more sports broadcasts, but also more subjects, programmes and interviews devoted to women's sport and to female actors in the sporting world in general.
Other measures, such as the creation of a sports guide for pregnant women, have been taken. One of the most common reasons for women to stop practising sport is maternity. The Ministry of Sport has therefore published a guide for pregnant women and young mothers with the expertise of gynaecologists and midwives to guide them in their physical activity and sport. It is available on the website of the Ministry of Sports: https://sports.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/guide-apsetmaternite.pdf
Guaranteeing the respect and integrity of female participants in clubs
The policy of combating violence in sport, the victims of which are mostly women, is also a key issue for the Ministry in charge of Sport. Through the violence prevention plans, it must act against all forms of sexism and promote a "safe and respectful practice environment for women". To this end, the Sports Directorate is working with sports associations on a training module for educators. In addition, the ministry has launched a platform to check the integrity of volunteer coaches working in sports associations.
Considered to be a factor that contributes to both social inclusion and to better health, sport is a compulsory subject in school, where it is known as EPS - physical education (éducation physique et sportive) in France.
PE has three objectives:
- the improvement of physical, motor and organic capacities
- access to the field of culture represented by sports activities;
- the acquisition of the skills necessary for the maintenance of physical life and socially educated citizens".
The teaching of sport is defined in the official curricula of the primary and secondary cycles:
- Primary school teaching programmes, BO hors-série n° 3 of 19 June 2008
- Secondary school PE programmes, Order of 8 July 2008 B.O special No. 6 of 28 August 2008; come into force at the start of the 2009-2010 school year
- The common PE syllabus for the second year of general and technological secondary school and for the first and final year of general and technological secondary school is defined by the order of 17-1-2019 published in the BO spécial n°1 of 22 January 2019.
Teachers have a wide range of digital teaching aids for drawing up their lesson plans, including the Ministry of National Education's Eduscol website dedicated to EPS, which compiles information about competitions, programmes and news concerning physical education.
In infant and primary schools, 108 hours a year are devoted to physical education, which equates to an average of three hours a week. EPS is intended to meet five learning outcomes (champs d’apprentissage):
- Developing motor skills and learning to express yourself using your body;
- Learning how to use methods and tools via exercise and sport;
- Sharing rules and taking on roles and responsibilities;
- Learning to keep fit through regular exercise;
- Adopting an artistic and sporting physical culture.
Over and above developing motor skills and improving health, EPS must also play a part in ensuring the social inclusion of children by:
- Contributing to health education and enabling pupils to become more familiar with their own bodies;
- Contributing to "safety education" through controlled risk-taking;
- Teaching accountability and independence and passing on such ethical and social values as respecting rules, yourself and others.
In 2022, the Ministry of National Education and Youth has made a joint commitment with the Ministry of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games to enable every primary school pupil to benefit from at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity (DPA), in addition to the physical activity and sport already taught.
This measure is part of the "Health Promoting School" approach and the National Sport and Health Strategy. It is in line with Article 17 of Law 2022 of 2 March 2022 aimed at democratising sport in France.
After a first year of positive experimentation with volunteer schools, the measure has been in effect since the start of the 2022 school year. Thus, daily physical activity is encouraged in all school and extracurricular areas and times according to the choice of the teaching teams. Adapted to the context of each school, the "30 minutes of daily physical activity" can take various forms and take place during the various school periods, in conjunction with or in connection with teaching time, during break times. The creation of links with local sports clubs is encouraged.
A 30' APQ referent has been appointed to each academic director of national education services, responsible for monitoring and support.
All secondary school pupils attend compulsory weekly physical education classes for four hours in total in Year 7 (first year) and three hours in all the other years. These classes are assessed as part of the DNB - national general certificate of secondary education (Diplôme national du brevet) via coursework.
Pupils can practise a range of activities out of a choice of 26 physical, sporting and artistic activities defined at national level. Under the Common Base of Knowledge and Skills (see Eurydice: Introduction) for example, all pupils must take swimming, or more specifically "learn how to swim".
At secondary-school level, physical education also serves a number of educational purposes:
- Following rules;
- Embarking on a project-based approach;
- Taking on responsibilities;
- Knowing and looking after yourself.
Sixth-form colleges (lycées)
All sixth-formers follow 2 hours of compulsory physical education (EPS) lessons a week. The EPS syllabus for general and technological lycées includes aspects relating to the Guidance and Planning Law for the Future of Schools no. 2005-380 of 23 April 2005. It is intended to follow on from the syllabus taught at secondary school. EPS is assessed as part of A Levels (the Baccalauréat) via CCF – coursework (contrôle en cours de formation) during the final year. In addition, if students would like to devote more time to sports training, they have the possibility of choosing:
- Optional EPS lessons for 3 hours a week during all three years spent at lycée in France (equivalent to the last year of secondary school/Year 11 and the two years of sixth-form college), focusing on two activities;
- Exploratory lessons for 5 hours a week in Year 11, possibly then followed by additional teaching for 4 hours a week during the final cycle.
Paris 2024 olympic and paralympic games
In view of the organisation of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Ministries of Education and Sport have decided to affirm the importance of sport through the drafting of a circular for educational staff. This circular, issued in 2021, specifies that "the context of the organisation of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games offers a unique opportunity to develop the place of physical activity and sport in the life of every child".
This desire to develop physical activity is reflected in the development of a roadmap that focuses on eight priorities:
1. Reinforcement of fundamental knowledge through sport;
2. Promotion, development and increase of physical activity time for young people;
3. Creation of a specialised course in physical education, sports practices and culture in general secondary school;
4. The creation of a vocational sports stream within the vocational stream
5. Development of PE and sport for young people with disabilities
6. Strengthening of educational alliances in priority areas
7. Adapting the schooling of high-level sportsmen and women and their career paths within the national education system;
8. Special attention to the accessibility of sports facilities.
Physical education (EPS) is underpinned by a partnership between the Ministry of National Education, various sports associations and the local authorities who lend their support in a variety of ways, such as through grants for school associations and assistance with the running of sports facilities. This intersectorial collaboration takes shape particularly through "extracurricular sport” (sport scolaire).
Over and above physical education, which is taught during national school hours and lessons, pupils are able to take additional sports activities on an "extracurricular sports" basis. This is organised by school-based sports associations that have been given a public service mission for educational and social purposes. Their role is clarified in the agreements they sign with the Ministry of National Education. These school partner associations are as follows:
- At primary level, the USEP – Sports Education Union for Primary Education (Union sportive de l'enseignement du premier degré);
- At secondary level, the UNSS - National Union for Extracurricular Sport (Union nationale du sport scolaire).
An extracurricular sports association must be set up in each secondary school and lycée. An integral component of the institution’s strategic plan, it must contribute towards a thriving academic scene within the school.
It gives pupils the chance to play one or more sports, for 3 hours each week, all year round. This is in addition to physical education lessons. What is more, pupils are encouraged to get involved in the life of the sports association and in organising events and competitions. School-based sports associations are federated within the UNSS. In 2018 (latest data available), the UNSS issued 660,000 individual licences and had 9,300 accredited clubs (Chiffres-clés du sport 2020, INJEP).
Extracurricular sport at school level also provides opportunity to forge international partnerships and organise myriad cultural exchanges, particularly through exchanges with sports teams from institutions in other countries.
Sports academy (section sportive scolaire)
Sixth-formers attending lycée who are keen on taking their sports practice to another level, all the while following a regular academic curriculum, can choose to enrol in a sports academy. Students are selected on the basis of a sporting and academic application.
Sports in universities
At the university, the Service interuniversitaires des activités physiques et sportives (SIUAPS) allows students to register for regular sports activities (group sports, etc.) at modest prices.