Lagardère : proud sponsor of french athletics

Bernard Amsalem, President of the French Athletics Federation (FFA), and Arnaud Lagardère, Chairman and CEO of the Lagardère Group, have signed a three-year agreement regarding sponsorship of the French Athletics Team, the Equipe de France.

Lagardère’s partnership with the FFA demonstrates the Group’s commitment to championing the progression and development of athletics in France by supporting the Equipe de France at major European meets, with a view towards the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
This partnership will be centred on two key areas:

• The Lagardère Group will be the Official Sponsor of the Equipe de France in 2006, 2007 and 2008. As of this summer, French athletes will sport Lagardère’s colours on their equipment at the European Cup and the European Athletics Championships in Göteborg;
• Equipe de France athletes, managers and national trainers will receive advice and support from Team Lagardère’s Centre for Scientific Expertise, based on a programme of tests, applied research and training, to complement their current efforts. This multisport and innovative training complex leverages scientific expertise applied to sports to help athletes maximise their sporting performance.

This partnership kicked off on 24 and 25 March with the Trainers Days held at the Team Lagardère facilities, at the Paris Jean-Bouin sports centre. The topics covered included altitude training and the importance of mental fitness to improve performance.

Athletics is now the third sport – after the support provided to France’s most promising tennis players and the partnership agreement signed with the French Table Tennis Federation – to become part of the global strategy defined by Arnaud Lagardère, based on the training assistance delivered by Team Lagardère.

This new partnership with the most popular Olympic sport strongly reaffirms Lagardère’s commitment to sports in France.

Bernard Amsalem: … I am very happy with this partnership aimed at supporting the French Athletics Team’s pursuit for excellence and high performance at upcoming international sporting events…

Arnaud Lagardère: … The Group’s partnership with the Equipe de France confirms Lagardère’s dedication to the values of the founding Olympic sport and its commitment to assist and support French athletes in taking gold at the next Olympics… “