With the Paris 2024 Games less than 10 months away, French political authorities are stepping on the gas pedal. With a new priority: technology and innovation in the sports sector. Proof of this is the organization on Monday November 13 in Paris, on the premises of Bpifrance Le Hub, of a vast gathering of players in the sports and innovation ecosystem. At the helm were Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the French Minister for Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Jean-Noël Barrot, her government colleague in charge of the digital sector. The aim is to give a new impetus to the development of French sports startups. With a sales growth rate of 52% between 2021 and 2022, sportech is doing well. There are currently 42 players with annual sales in excess of one million euros. At the same time, France has lost two places in the world rankings for private fundraising. It now ranks 7th. On Monday November 13, the two ministers presented their action plan. It includes the creation of a gas pedal for an annual selection of 15 sportech startups. It will be based at the Banque Publique d’Investissement (Bpifrance), with funding from the Ministry of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games of 1.5 million euros over three years. It was also decided that Business France would launch a specific program in January 2024 to support sportech startups. They will be invited to take part in events and join international delegations on strategic trips. As a reminder, the Paris 2024 OCOG has launched 80 experiments with 35 startups on 26 innovative projects. Seventeen of these will be delivered as part of the Olympic and Paralympic Games by 16 French startups.
