This Monday, March 31, the Masséna High School in Nice was vibrant with Olympic colors on the occasion of the national launch of SOP 2025.
This Monday, March 31, the Masséna High School in Nice was vibrant with Olympic colors on the occasion of the national launch of the Olympic and Paralympic Week (SOP) 2025. Organized in partnership with the South Region and the city of Nice, this day brought together 700 students from the high schools Masséna, Jules-Ferry, Nikaia, and Saint-Barthélemy for sports initiations and inspiring encounters with top-level athletes. It was a festive and engaged way to extend the momentum of the Paris 2024 Games and pass on the values of sport to an entire generation.
Among the highlights of the day, students had the opportunity to meet exceptional athletes who came to share their passion and journey. Paralympic champion Arnaud Assoumani, the sponsor of this 2025 edition, was accompanied by other figures of French sport: Élodie Ravera (rowing), Ali Traoré (basketball), Léa Sévéran (karate), Romain Aufrère (shooting), Dorian Navarro (wheelchair tennis), as well as Fabien Lamirault, a multi-medal winner in para table tennis.
Their testimonies inspired the young participants, who were invited to try a wide range of sports disciplines in the school courtyard. Rugby, table tennis, football, basketball, but also American football, curling, boccia, wheelchair basketball, bowling, and athletics: the workshops highlighted both the diversity of practices and the accessibility of sports for everyone.
At the end of the ceremony, students had the exceptional opportunity to discover Olympic and Paralympic medals: a gold, silver, and bronze Olympic medal, as well as a gold, silver, and bronze Paralympic medal were presented and offered to the Museum of Sports History in Nice, symbolizing the spirit of competition, respect, and sporting excellence.
What is the goal behind this initiative?
Through this 2025 edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Week, the organizers aim to build on the legacy left by the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, while maintaining the Olympic spirit until the Winter Games of 2030. Gilles Rouvière, a physical education teacher at the Masséna High School, emphasizes the main goal of this event: promoting sports discovery and experimentation. “The idea is to introduce students to sports they may have never considered, like boccia or wheelchair basketball,” he explains.
This objective is fully shared by the Minister of Sports, Marie Barsacq, who states: “this Masséna High School breathes sport, you see young people who are smiling and enjoying themselves; that’s the essence of this Olympic week.” For her, the SOP is crucial for raising young people’s awareness of Olympic and Paralympic sports, but also essential in fostering a long-term desire to engage in sports activities. The minister also highlights the central importance of inclusion: “many teachers use this opportunity to talk to their students about parasports. This helps change young people’s perceptions of disability.” While the Paris 2024 Games generated genuine enthusiasm and increased enrollments in sports clubs, Marie Barsacq notes that there is now a need to meet young people’s expectations by developing sports as a leisure activity. She also insists on the educational and social role of sport, “the third educational space after parents and school”, as well as its ability to foster dialogue and combat bullying. In a context where France regularly hosts major events, such as the upcoming European Swimming and cycling championships, the SOP represents an opportunity to sustainably place sport at the heart of educational and societal concerns.
Renaud Muselier: “Sport, a driver of education and social cohesion”
In his inaugural speech, Renaud Muselier, president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, highlighted the region’s commitment to education and sports: “giving high school students the means to practice well and the desire to keep moving every day is a priority,” he stated. He reminded that 40 million euros will be invested by 2028 to modernize the sports facilities in the region’s high schools. Additionally, 50 million euros specifically dedicated to Masséna High School, in order to enhance this exceptional historical heritage.
For him, this event is above all an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental values of Olympism and Paralympism: “respect, excellence, friendship, but also inclusion and accessibility”, principles intended to raise awareness among young people about the benefits of regular sporting practice. Through this flagship event, the South Region intends to continue building the legacy of the Paris 2024 Games while actively preparing for the Winter Olympic Games of 2030, notably through significant investments in infrastructure and support for local clubs. For the regional president, sport remains more than ever “an essential vector of health, education, and social cohesion.”
This 2025 edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Week is marked by discovery, sharing, and inclusion. It is a great success in passing on the strong values of sport to younger generations and extending, up until the 2030 Winter Games, the positive energy inspired by Paris 2024.