Yutang Sports Conducts an Exclusive interview with Mr. Lucien Boyer, President and Cofounder of Global Sports Week Paris——Take the responsibility and spread the charm of French Sports Industry

On May 9th-13th,2022, the third edition of Global Sports Week, under the patronage of UNESCO and the high patronage of Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the France Republic, has returned with core theme on “Better vs Bigger, Growing Sport in the Age of Responsibility”. Yutang Sports, in partnership with Global Sports Week, conducts an exclusive interview with Mr. Lucien Boyer, President and Cofounder of the three-year-old Sports Rendez-Vous of the Year.

As a global event that gathers leaders, change-makers, and influential stakeholders, Global Sports Week acts as a momentous platform to accelerate the development of sport as a sustainable, innovative, and positive force. Themed on “Better VS Bigger, growing sport in the age of responsibility”, the GSWParis focuses on championing new voices and ideas, while connecting prestigious leaders from all walks of life. 

Over the next three years, France will be hosting multiple major events, including the Rugby World Cup 2023 and the Paris Summer Olympic Games 2024. Without a doubt, France has already become the new capital of global sports community. With the strong support from the French Ministry of Sports, as well as the Government’s inter-ministerial delegation, Global Sports Week is now dedicating itself to becoming a key platform to export the unique charm of French sports industry while facilitating international exchange.

As one of its official media partners, Yutang Sports conducts an exclusive interview with Mr. Lucien Boyer, president and co-founder of the Global Sports Week Paris, during which he addressed the importance of sports’ responsibility at the era of change, under the leadership of the GSWParis, and expressed his expectation towards the role of France in global sports community in the near future.

Lucien Boyer, President of the Global Sports week Paris ©️GSWParis

1.Sport can be shaped as a sustainable, innovative and positive force at the heart of human society

According to the French Ministry of Sport, the value of sports industry in France accounts for 2.5% of its domestic GDP, while the Ministère de la Ville also reveals that sports have become a daily habitat for almost 70% of French people. It is undoubtably that the France sports industry is booming, especially under the context of the upcoming Paris 2024. As a French-blood global forum, Global Sports Week is acting as one of the core platforms to reinforce the development of French sports. 

Yutang Sports：Compared with other countries, French people's enthusiasm for sports is considerably high, which could not have achieved without the support from the government, local sports enterprises, and the active promotions of the media. In this regard, what role does the GSWParis play in showcasing the development of French sports business and strengthening the mass sports participation in the country?

Lucien: The development of sport industry needs the support and control of the government. But it is also associated with our ability to implement changes. There are two things that are most significant currently, the inter-connections among all the stakeholders and the power of social media. The industry works at a full speed when there are trust and constant communications among different sectors. A brief example can be given in the inter-relations between rugby and soccer experts, who have acquired strong knowledge of expertise, but don’t get a chance to know each other. Thus, we are looking for a supportive platform that connects all groups to enhance communications and ideas exchange. I am thrilled that the GSWParis is one of the best solutions.

The valuable practice experience from other countries will be fully absorbed and further promoted at the forum. While on the other hand, we are going to spread our voice and ideas as well, with more attention to new minds, innovations and technology that can facilitate the reinvention of the industry. It is a sports rendez-vous of the year, where experts from all walks of life are exchanging points of view, with sports professionals offering suggestions on physical and mental health, social enterprises fulfilling their commitments in commerce and investments to optimize mass-sport infrastructures and support the application of new technology. Last but not least, specialists from education could also take their indispensable role in the popularization of sports.

I am confident that the Global Sports Week is determined to foster all those new interactions to bolster the development of mass participation sports.

Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024, at the forum with Lucien Boyer ©️GSWParis

2.A key transmitter to spread the impact of French sports industry and defend European sports model

In the upcoming years, France will be put under the limelight of global sports community, as the new sports capital will be the host of a series of international sports events, including the 2022 UCI Track Cycling World Championship, 2023 Alpine World Ski Championships, 2023 Rugby World Cup, as well as the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Aligned with the French Sport Touch program initiated by the French government, the Global Sports Week Paris created a dedicated France Zone at the Accor Arena as a window to showcase the country’s preparations.

Yutang Sports：As a top-level global forum created under the high patronage of the France president Mr. Emmanuel Macron, the GSWParis is undertaking a special mission to spread the voice of France. In detail, what does the forum 2022 plan to do in its content setting to demonstrate the charm of French sports business in recent years?

Lucien: With the upcoming major events, including the Rugby World Cup, World Ski Championship and Summer Olympic Games, arriving in the following years, the French government unveiled a program in 2022 named the “French Sport Touch”, with strong aims to offer a more sustainable and accessible way for leaders and change makers to come together by showcasing the projects of public authorities as well as Pre-Games Training Camps for the Paris 2024.

Keeping aligned with the program, the Global Sports Week created a dedicated “French Zone” at the Accor Arena, one of the main venues for the Olympics, through which the international delegates could meet and interact with all the key actors of the upcoming major sports events, indicating the forum’s intense desire to bring together all the excellence and capabilities of the country.

In the meanwhile, the French National Olympic Committee is now welcoming a delegation of European commission to promote the European sports model, which clearly differs from the American professional franchise model in the interconnections between government and private sectors. I am convinced that the Global Sports Week is creating a great moment to push forward the concept we believe in. Similar to the IOC model, the European sports model has strong implications that could be used in organizing sports events and protecting sport properties.

The conflicts between different sports models were clearly demonstrated in the case of the Super League, co-initiated by some top clubs in 2021, with aims to create a closed league and prioritize the existing UEFA events system. France, along with other European countries, stood up to say No, since the existing events, such as the UEFA Champions League, were created not only for the giants but for the small clubs who seek to promote themselves by competing at a higher platform.

Determined as our attitude is, the concept of the European sports model is still difficult to maintain, with the constant pressure from the private economy. Thus, it is also the role of the GSWParis to have the model further demonstrated and applied into practice.

On May 10, a special dinner cruise, co-organised by GSW and the French Government, gave international delegates a unique preview of the proposed Opening Ceremony route for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 ©️GSWParis

3.A unique mission: to bring a more innovative and sustainable future for sport

The Covid-19 has deeply impacted the global sport industry, exposing the industry to uncertainties and new changes. It is under such a challenging time that the Global Sports Week undertake its responsibilities by focusing on the cross-cutting global shifts, including “lifestyle”, “Power”, “Equality”, “Data”, “Climate” and “Health”, that will shape the future of sport and society.

Yutang Sports：The theme of the GSWParis 2022 is “BETTER VS BIGGER: GROWING SPORT IN THE AGE OF RESPONSIBILITY”, which highlights the word "responsibility" as one of the most essential elements in this era. Thus, what role do you think GSWParis will play to undertake the responsibility of shaping global sports industry as a key actor of human society?

Lucien：We would like to keep sober and practical while delivering short-term and long-term visions for the future, as it is essential to have intimate and quality interactions with delegates and global visitors. Tough as the current situations are not only in China but in Europe, I believe that it is time to play bigger and sports will take an essential and constructive role. At the same time, we need the forum to have a better reflection on social practice by tackling the six most pressing global shifts, including “Lifestyle”, “Power”, “Equality”, “Data”, “Climate” and “Health”. We are keen to make sure that those intentions are properly reflected in our discussion. Under the global limelight, we have the responsibility to bring a more sustainable and more socially responsible future for the public, for our audience, and for the people that are interested in and willing to join the sports practice.

In the year of 2022, the Global Sports Week keeps up with the global trend of development through six program blocks, including “Athletes vs the Industry”, “Women’s Sports vs The men’s sport model”, “Mega-events vs Sustainable impact”, “Right to play vs Duty to move”, “New revenues vs Legacy fans”, and “Mental Health vs the Medals race”.

We need to open our minds and adapt to changes by constantly considering economic strategy adjustments and aligning with consumption habits of the new generation, such as the virtual network and innovative technology. We provide new revenues for sports, but in the same time, how to maintain and optimize the traditions that are kept by the legacy fans. Last but not least, how to balance the athletes’ on-field success with their mental health. All elements are fully presented in the one-week discussions.

Lucien at the forum with the Young Sports Makers team ©️GSWParis

Through Lucien’s words, the constructive role of the Global Sports Week at the global stage has been explicitly demonstrated. In the context of France’s welcoming a series of international major sports events in the coming years, the forum shows its strong ambition, as a sports rendez-vous of the year, to spread the charm of French sports community and enhance global interactions. It is impossible for sports to grow up positively without close cooperation among all stakeholders, while the GSWParis is acting as a bridge for ideas exchange.

At the Age of Responsibility under the post-pandemic era, the forum, under the leadership of Lucien, will continue to fulfill its commitment to shaping the cross-industry influence of sports community in human society and sharing the French voice together with the French Sport Touch program.

©️GSWParis

About Global Sports Week Paris 

Global Sports Week Paris is an annual international forum that brings together leaders and disruptors from sport, business, culture, media, government, and society. Its goal is to accelerate the development of sport as an innovative, sustainable, and positive force at the heart of global society.

In 2022, GSWParis returns from May 9th - 13th with a central gathering at the iconic Accor Arena in Paris, supported by additional digital and overseas events.

Global Sports Week is organized under the high patronage of Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, with the support of numerous private and public partners. The event was first staged in February 2020 at the Carrousel du Louvre.

About Yutang Sports

As one of the official media partners of the GSWParis, Yutang Sports is a Chinese leading sports marketing and media platform, with an ultimate mission to connect China and world through sports. After years of growing, Yutang Sports, with a comprehensive media and marketing promotion system, is now dedicating to reporting sports business and marketing trends, providing sports business news, analysis, and exclusive data reports in both Chinese and English. Having been cooperated with top-level domestic and international sports summits, Yutang Sports, as a sower, cultivator and leader of Chinese sports marketing, is opening a window for Chinese sports industry to embrace the world.