The Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) has committed to roll out a new ‘Horizon 2024’ programme across its global network, promoting sport and the Olympic values to 350,000 students worldwide.

With a network of almost 500 educational establishments serving 350,000 students across 137 countries, the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) is partnering with Paris 2024 to deliver the ‘Horizon 2024’ programme. The initiative has been developed in line with the aims of the Paris 2024 Legacy strategy, in order to expand sports participation in schools and offer educational projects around the values of sport.

The agreement was officially signed today, Thursday 17 May, at the AEFE’s annual Support Staff Seminar by Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, and Christophe Bouchard, Director of the AEFE, in the company of Marie Barsacq, Paris 2024 Director of Legacy and Impact and Emmeline Ndongue, Paris 2024’s education ambassador.

Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024 said: “This agreement gives us a fantastic opportunity to share the Paris 2024 project with the 350,000 students of the AEFE network throughout the world, showcasing the benefits of sports participation and the Olympic values. It’s a great example of the scale of our ambition to make education through sport, particularly among the young people of Generation 2024, a powerful lever of Paris 2024’s overall success.”

The agreement was initiated by France’s National Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer at the 8th edition of the country’s annual Day of School Sport in 2017. It supports an ambitious vision to use the six years leading up to the Games to create a sustainable legacy for communities, and especially young people.

The theme of education through sport is among the key pillars of the Paris 2024 legacy plan, established during the bid phase. It will continue to provide a core focus over coming years, as seen with projects such as the Olympic and Paralympic Week that takes place in January each year with the collaboration of all school sports stakeholders nationwide.

Specifically, the AEFE’s engagement under the terms of the new agreement will focus on the following four key areas:

TRAINING: Preparing students and former students of the overseas French Education network, of all nationalities, to play a role in delivering the Olympic and Paralympic Games as paid employees or volunteers

INFORMATION: Providing communication about the Paris 2024 project via the Young International Reporters (JRI) network of schools signed up to the AEFE-UNSS sports leagues

EXCELLENCE: Encouraging schools within the AEFE network to offer adapted education programmes for their existing high-level student-athletes, and also to open their doors to other student-athletes within their host countries

ACCESSIBILITY: Commitment to projects facilitating and enabling sports participation among young boys and girls living in countries where sport is not accessible

Christophe Bouchard, Director of the AEFE, said: “This agreement with Paris 2024 and the AEFE’s ‘Horizon 2024’ programme aim to promote a culture of commitment towards the Olympic values among the young people in French schools around the world. Sport is also about learning to live and work together; it’s a way to meet others. Indeed, cultural encounters are part of the DNA of our establishments, which bring together young people from many different backgrounds and nationalities. Our goal is for our students to play an integral role in the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, whether as volunteers, employees, young reporters or athletes.”

This agreement commits the two organisations over a renewable three-year period.

The AEFE has agreed to publish the results of the projects and activities implemented across all its accredited institutions at the end of each school year.