SPORT IS ESSENTIAL

Get all French people moving across the country

 

Sedentary lifestyle, inactivity, excess weight, depression...

Faced with these major public health challenges, UNION Sport & Cycle and the Pour une France en Forme collective are organizing a tour of five French cities to shake up habits, encourage physical activity, and raise awareness of the importance of daily exercise. Take part in the event or share it with your community, because we need your help to tackle these major challenges!

• 9% of deaths in France are linked to physical inactivity.
• 23% of French people feel they do not take care of their mental health.
• 47.3% of adults in France are overweight or obese.
• 8 out of 10 adults report spending more than 3 hours a day on recreational screen time hours per day

 

>> Learn more about the tour 

>> Register for the tour

 

 

"The Sport is Essential tour is a wonderful opportunity to remind people how beneficial physical activity is, not only for health but also for social cohesion. It creates festive and popular events that bring people together. This is exactly what Union Sport & Cycle aims to do: reach out to French people and inspire them to take up sport and stay active. At a time when too many young people and adults are not getting enough exercise in their daily lives, it is important to remember that regular physical activity contributes to a better quality of life and healthy aging. At a time when too many young people and adults are not getting enough daily exercise, it is essential to remind them that regular physical activity contributes to a better life and better aging. The first effects of the momentum generated by the Games are already being felt, with sports participation on the rise across the country. Our challenge now is to maintain this momentum over time. The Sports Festival on September 14 will be a highlight in this regard, a day of popular celebration that highlights the richness of the sports ecosystem, from local clubs to champions. The Le Sport est Essentiel tour is fully in line with this momentum: beyond sports activities, it also reminds us that sport is an economic and employment sector that offers opportunities for young people.
Marie Barsacq, Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games
de France

 

With the support of the Collectif Pour une France en Forme (Collective for a Fit France), UNION sport & cycle is organizing a "Sport is Essential" tour in five different cities between September and October 2025. At a time when the health situation in France, particularly among young people, is particularly worrying, this tour aims to demonstrate what companies in our sector can do to get French people moving, in collaboration with local authorities and the scientific and educational communities." 

Grégory de Radiguès, President of the UNION of Sport & Cycle Companies

 

 2025 is Mental Health Year for the GCN! As part of this initiative, the USC and the Pour une France en Forme collective are joining forces to raise awareness of the major mental health benefits of physical activity and sport. To this end, five days of events bringing together various regional players in the field of health and sport are being organized. Did you know that combining appropriate physical activity with psychiatric treatments can reduce the dosage required for most patients? Yes, physical activity, which nourishes the brain, has a significant impact on its plasticity. A healthy body with a healthy mind: these are the vital benefits of physical activity and sports for our health.

François Carré, President of the Collective for a Fit France Cardiologist and sports physician specializing in adapted physical activity

 

 

LET'S GET MOVING TOGETHER FOR A HEALTHIER FRANCE

Tour dates:

• La Rochelle – September 23, 2025
• Toulon – October 1, 2025
• Tours – October 16, 2025
• Rouen – October 22, 2025
• Montpellier – October 29, 2025

 

Take part now, free of charge, in the first meetings, organized in La Rochelle on Tuesday, September 23.

Our first responders:

• Catherine LEONIDAS: Deputy Mayor for Sports and Water Sports – City of La Rochelle // Vice President of the National Association of Elected Officials for Sports (ANDES)
• Virgile CAILLET: General Delegate of UNION Sport & Cycle
• Florent BOUCHER: Director of the National Center for Support in Physical Activity and the Fight Against Sedentary Lifestyles (CNDAPS), ICAPS pilot project leader
• Jean-Charles ROMAGNY – Development Manager at the French Cycling Federation
• David COMMUNAL – President of the French Sport-Health Society, director of the APA professional association, and APA teacher.
• Romain PINSONNEAU – General practitioner and sports doctor at the Rochelais medical-
  sportif center .
• Focus: "Surfing as a therapeutic ally in supporting victims of
  violence
  • Zoe Provot, surf instructor trained in psychotrauma, peer helper, and
    coordinator of the Surf Up association
  • Charlotte Delavaud, Registered Nurse, specializing in psychological trauma
    (CMP Le Sémaphore in La Rochelle)

 

Toulon, Wednesday, October 1

Our first responders:

• Laurent BONNET – Deputy Mayor for Sport & Health in the City of Toulon, President of the Regional Conference of Sports Funders, State-certified massage therapist and physiotherapist.
• Dr. Alain FUCH – President of Azur Sport Santé and medical advisor to the CNAM (French National Health Insurance Fund)
• Stéphane DIAGANA – First French male world champion in athletics and President of Diagana Sport Santé
• Marc DESSENIS – Marketing Director of the PLAYERS Group (4PADEL / LE FIVE / ZIDANE FIVE CLUB / PLAYERS ÉVENTS)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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