Nearly a third of France’s 64 Olympic medals were won by members of the French armed forces, with the military having become a major institution in supporting high-level athletes. As France looks to maintain – if not grow – its Olympic record, increasing support for athletes from the public sector, such as the military, is key.
The French armed services produced 21 medallists in judo, fencing and shooting, as well as in disciplines less connected to traditional military skills, like BMX or surfing.
They included four gold medallists: Army sergeants Manon Brunet and Althéa Laurin (fencing and taekwondo); air force aviator Nicolas Gestin (canoe-kayak); and the mixed judo team of Sergeant Major Clarisse Agbégnénou, navy seaman Joan-Benjamin Gaba, navy petty officer Shirine Boukli and army private Luka Mkheidze.
'Army of champions'
Of the 571 French athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, 78 were members of the "Army of Champions", a programme to support high-level athletes that the Defence Ministry calls the “main state contributor to high-level sport”.
The programme has integrated some 200 high-level athletes into the different branches of the armed forces and the gendarmerie.
Para athletes are given civilian jobs in the ministry’s administration, and 19 athletes will be among the 237-strong French delegation competing in the 2024 Paris Paralympics, which start on 28 August.
Financial security
High-level athletes benefit greatly from the backing of an institution or company, which allows them to focus on training and not worry about making a living.
Speaking about France’s commitment to growing its Olympic record and supporting high-level athletes, Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra highlighted the importance of jobs.
Preparing athletes to win medals involves “supporting them materially and giving them the socio-professional support so they can build something, and have the ability to manage their university studies and open doors to companies and public sector jobs for the future”, she said.
Some athletes can cobble together a living through contracts with sports clubs or sponsorships. Others, like swimmer Léon Marchand, who won a record four gold individual medals at the Paris Olympics, is on a scholarship at the University of Arizona in the United States.
However, France has recognised that most high-level athletes need institutional support.
Public sector support
The Defence Ministry offers two-year renewable contracts of up to six years for athletes, providing them with a salary and professional support as they train.
In communicating about the programme, the ministry says this support offers an “essential balance for high performance” which “allows the athlete to be free of administrative constraints and focus fully on their sport objectives”.
Four other ministries have signed agreements to hire high-level athletes, including the Interior Ministry, in charge of the national police, which supports 65 high-level athletes.
“In exchange for financial support, training and perspectives for their post-sporting career, the members of the national police team have as a mission to represent the institution on the sports fields,” the Interior Ministry said of its programme.
Nineteen members of the police team competed in the Paris Olympics and four won medals, including surfer Kauli Vaast, who officially became a police reservist in 2023.
Private companies can secure special work contracts for athletes, allowing them to work part time, but enjoying the salary and benefits of full time employment, but the public sector can be more flexible, with official support on a national level.
The national rail company SNCF supported 11 athletes in the Olympics, along with other public companies such as electricity provider EDF and public hospitals.
The Defence Ministry remains the largest supporter of high-level athletes, with the most resources and a built-in physical component in its own programmes.
However not all athletes stay in the armed forces after the end of their sporting careers.
Since 2008, only 15 decided to continue in the military after retiring as athletes, according to Le Monde.
