In an effort to boost momentum around French sports, the Government launched a national initiative in 2018 to address the governance of the sports model. Established by the law of August 1, 2019, the National Sports Agency embodies this new governance at the national level, supported by regional conferences.
The Regional Sports Conference in Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur, set up on April 13 by Prefect Christophe Mirmand, aims to be the voice of sports in all its facets. Chaired by the representative of the sports movement (the second region in France in this case among the 9 Conferences already established), it is a collective effort serving everyone.
The regional sports conference brings together 53 members from four groups: the State group, the local government group, the sports movement group, and the economic and social world group.
During the first plenary assembly, the 53 members of the Regional Sports Conference elected Hervé Liberman, President of the CROS Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur, as president; and two vice-presidents: Jean-Daniel Beurnier, elected member of the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Laurent Bonnet, sports deputy of the city of Toulon, TPM metropolitan councilor.
They will serve a five-year term, renewable once.
The establishment of the regional sports conference will enable a territorial diagnosis of local sports and outline the main axes of a territorial sports policy. It will rely on collective intelligence to develop a coordinated, coherent, and ambitious sports development strategy. The results will lead to the drafting of a Territorial Sports Project (TSP) for the next five years and will drive a new partnership dynamic in the territory.
“Our objective is to create a real economic momentum around sports, as our region has all the assets for this,” emphasized Hervé Liberman. “Our mission is to make sports one of the excellence sectors and a lever for the territory’s economic development, creating cross-sector links around sports with tourism, culture, and health.”
The document – presented during an online press briefing by the three leaders – highlights that new development axes must particularly consider environmental, economic, and societal issues, with two global events on the horizon:
The Rugby World Cup in 2023 (hosting pool matches in Marseille and Nice and the semi-final matches in Marseille). The Sailing events in Marseille during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“These two events, and their legacies, must be successful to prove that our territory is truly capable of hosting major events. With the conclusion of the Tokyo Olympics this summer, the time will soon come for the 2024 Olympics,” declared Hervé Liberman.
