A few months before the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games, a law aimed at protecting elite athletes and securing their legal and social status has officially come into effect.
Almost unnoticed, this law nevertheless constitutes a major advance for the approximately 6,500 elite athletes present in France: “Athletes, coaches, referees, and high-level sports judges contribute, through their activities, to the nation’s prestige and the promotion of sports values.”
Right from the first article of the law dated November 27, 2015, the tone is set. For the first time, a text officially recognizes the importance of elite athletes in France and truly addresses their status. Better accessibility to training, support for career transitions, and improved social protection are on the agenda.
In a country where a sports career inevitably rhymes with glory and wealth, this law addresses the thousands of athletes in precarious situations.
“Too often, people think a professional athlete makes money, has fancy cars, and spends recklessly,” said Thierry Braillard, Secretary of State for Sport and a leading advocate of the bill.
Supported by the Socialist Party, he was among the first to highlight the little-known living conditions of most elite athletes in France. “Material and social precarity affects too many athletes, who do not all have gold medals, are not in disciplines that attract sponsors, or have sufficient media coverage to generate income from their image.”
Driven by the desire to change things since taking office (in April 2014), Thierry Braillard can today be proud of initiating a law with tangible consequences.
Submitted last April to the National Assembly and enacted 7 months later, the law of November 27, 2015, represents, according to the Socialist Party, “recognition towards all these champions who contribute to the prestige of France in the world, just like artists, researchers, or writers.” A sentiment shared by the main stakeholders.
Indeed, athletes are welcoming the real progress that this “high-level text” represents for them. Enacted at a time when France was still paying tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks, this law received little media attention, which did not prevent it from achieving unanimity.
And that’s what truly matters!
by Jordan Perronneau
Photo credit: www.thierrybraillard.fr
