High-level sport in France

 

High-level sport in France

 

Introduction

 

 The difference between top athlete and professional athlete

 

A high level athlete is not necessarily professional and vice versa. It should not be confused. These two concepts are not identical.

A professional athlete is an athlete who is paid for practicing sports. His professional activity is therefore a sporting activity. By remuneration we mean : salary, sponsorship contract, image contract… also all benefits in kind : apartment, car… this professional activity can be temporary, starting from low remuneration. As soon as we are paid we are professional. 

Often, all the mid-level clubs that have a little money give money to their athletes, without an employment contract, in a way that is black and white ; therefore not really considered professional. There are more athletes who get low salaries

 

Top-level athletes are athletes whose level of performance justifies their being registered on the lists of top athletes from the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Since the 1980s, SHNs have enjoyed a real status which allows them to be protected during their sports career. So there are of course top athletes who are professionals.

 

 High-level sport is part of a national policy determined by the MJS and financed by the State. The delegated sports federates are associated with the MJS for the development of high level sport. (Those only approved are not, federated handisport only federated multisport delegate)

 

                          

 

                 The quality of a top athlete

 

1) The co-management of high-level sport (public actors, sports movement)    

 

 Public actors     

- Sports policy of the HN centralized at the level of the Ministry of Youth and Sport. So the youth and sports ministry has a preponderant place at the level of public actors. Top-level sport.

- The DRJS, the deconcentrated service of the ministry, intervene in the implementation of the high-level policy (it gives their opinion when we are going to set up a training center), also intervene in the management of measures in the integration socio-professional of high level athletes, and also in relation to the sports executives made available to the poles.

- The CREPS with training missions.

- The National Schools and INSEP are training centers in the disciplines they host. All these structures belong to the MJS.

- Other ministries can also welcome top athletes to facilitate their careers.

- There are also local authorities which have more of a support role, particularly in communication (eg biathlon with sportsmen from Franche-Comté, put forward by local authorities). So that they can grant direct aid (eg : regional council of Franche Comté) and also by financing sports equipment used by NHS. The municipalities can also offer positions of territorial civil servants to NHS while allowing them to continue their career full time. 

 

 The sports movement     

 

- Sports federations (delegatees) : within the federations, the DTN is concerned by the SHN, it directs the national technical team (ETN) it has a central role, it manages the coaches, physical trainer, mental trainer. He's a manager of the SHN. He is a state agent, paid by MJS, made available to the federates. The DTNs are the representatives of the state within the federations and also privileged partners of the federation presidents.

Federal activity in favor of the SHN is not free, it is strictly framed through the objective agreements signed between the federates and the MJS. The federations have technical staff : national coaches who take care of international, national, young athletes ...

- The other major player in the sports movement in the management of the SHN is the CNOSF. It has an ethical function, it has a role of managing money intended for SHNs and it may have to deal with a high-level sporting discipline in which the federation is temporarily in difficulty (FF riding for two years which had lost her delegation, she therefore took care of the national selections, the management of the HN…).

 

 

 Consultative and co-management structures which will bring together representatives of public actors and the sports movement :       

The national commission of the HN, created in 2002, integrated within the MJS but which is representative of the two categories. 36 members, with parity we find representatives half of public actors and half of the sports movement. Among the actors of the sports movement there are six sportsmen from HN to give their opinion on the management of the HN, the structure meets only once or twice a year, it serves rather both to take stock and to guide the policy of the SHN, but within it there is a permanent committee which meets much more frequently. There are also in this commission, specialized and thematic working commissions which meet as often as necessary and which call on experts. (Ex : case of a new discipline which requires high level status). It finds its application at the regional level with regional high-level sport commissions, they do not have a fundamental role, just a role of support and execution.

It has an advisory role in certain areas (just gives its opinion, e.g. consulted by MJS to define the quota of SHN discipline by discipline) and in others a decision-making role (e.g. it defines the criteria for the different categories of SHN, conditions required to belong to a particular category). 

The Olympic preparation mission is the second consultation structure. Structure mainly devoted to the SHN which prepares the Olympic Games. These SHNs have greater means to prepare. It is a very important sports policy of the HN because importance of the level of France at the international level, budget never decreases.

 

 

 

 

 

2) Access to the quality of SHN    

 

The first condition is to be at least 12 years old in the calendar year, in order to avoid early intensive training (very dangerous) but this measure can be a handicap in certain disciplines such as gymnastics.

The second condition is to practice a recognized discipline of HN. We are talking about a sports specialty, in the delegated federates which manage related disciplines, each of them must satisfy a high level (eg : French mountain and climbing federation : organizes 4 disciplines : climbing, snowshoeing, canyoning, ski mountaineering and only rock climbing and ski mountaineering) (for FF canoeing and kayaking : line racing and slalom are high level disciplines while downhill is not). The criteria for defining a high-level discipline, developed by the national high-level sport commission : the discipline must be managed by a delegated federation (exception federated handisport), affiliated to an international federation, we must find competitions of all levels (world, continental, national), the discipline must be sufficiently universal (40 countries for winter sport, 60 national federation for summer discipline), the results of the French team (its place at the international level), the number of licensees, the national organization (competent technical staff, quite a number of them, etc.). A discipline is HN for a period of 4 years (between two Olympics), rarely federated loses its status.    

The third condition is to justify a level of performance.

The fourth condition is that his federation must propose it by his federation for registration on the High Level lists.

 

 

3) SHN lists    

 

Officially there are two big lists with categories :

Ministerial list :

- Elite category : performance : having achieved a significant performance or ranking (depending on the federations) in the benchmark competitions (Olympic Games, World or European Championships or world ranking of international federates) brings together around 1000 athletes from all disciplines.           

senior category : selected from a French team to participate in international competitions. 2,500 athletes (each federation has between 40 and 50 belonging to this senior category)

The athletes who belong to these two categories belong to the Collectif France.

- Young category : same criteria as senior category but for a lower age category. (junior - hope) around 3100 SHN in this category. (on average 50-60 per federation) it forms the France Jeunes collectives.          

- Retraining category : sportsman at the end of his career who belonged to the Elite category or who were enrolled in Young and Senior for 4 years, including 3 in senior, and who presents a professional integration project whose achievement will be facilitated by the status high level athlete. Knowing that this status gives certain advantages (ex : Dugarry : TV consultant had no problem so it didn't make sense to have retraining status but for a little known kayaker but with a track record will need this status to find a job, he there must be a profit). About 120.            

- High level judge, referee and coach category : specially dedicated to those people who officiate in international competitions. This category has been planned since 2002 but only works since this year.          

 

SHN Complementary List:

- Hope category : brings together young athletes whose qualities represent an interesting potential in terms of performance, we focus on their potential. Made up of athletes who are thought to be able to become NHLs on the ministerial list. These SHNs represent the hope collective. About 1000 sportsmen registered on this list. (160 per federation). Have advantages but not all of those on ministerial lists, lower status.          

- Training partner category : athletes who participate in the training of French teams in disciplines where the presence of a partner is made compulsory by practice (ex : judo, combat sports, opposition duel sports : badminton, fencing , tennis, squash, water skiing, Nordic skiing ...) around 300 (60 in boxing)            

 

Operating conditions of these lists :

For Elite category valid for two years, and one year for the other categories, renewable as many times as the performances last (reconversion not more than 15 years)

Every two years, MJS publishes the Elite category list and every year for every year. If ever the athlete for disciplinary reasons (doping…) behaves badly in relation to his obligations, we can withdraw this status.

Not the right to refuse a selection for a SHN, can withdraw its status.

SHN quota : in agreement with the SHN national commission, the MJS sets each year a maximum number of SHN discipline per discipline. It is the responsibility of the DTN with the collaboration of national and regional technical executives who will propose the lists of SHN to the Minister.

The athletes proposed by the DTNs are obligatorily licensed, of French nationality (to be selected)

If hesitates between several athletes, we choose instead the one who will have the most benefits to have this status. When the quota is low and the number is high, a selection is organized (best on a ranking…). Sometimes it's not very clear.

 

 

              SHN status

 

As a SHN, you are entitled to several types of aid :

- training aids : in terms of structures and arrangements for supervising training          

- financial aid          

- training and employment aid        

 

1) High-level access routes (refer to training aids)    

 

These access channels concern the sports centers for access to the high level which are structures co-managed by federations and the MJS, they were set up in 1995, a fairly recent concept, they succeeded the permanent training center and training (CPEF) which concerned 1984-1995. The CPEFs having themselves succeeded the sport studies created in 1974 (Do not confuse the sport study classes of now with those of the period 1974-1984).

The poles are training poles, labeled in two categories as France poles and Espoirs poles. In the France poles we find the young France and France collectives and in the hope centers : hope collective. These poles are under the responsibility of the DTNs who draw up specifications, which assess their functioning, in which the technical frameworks of the federations work and those put in place by the MJS with the federates.

The poles have a threefold vocation : the predominant one : sports preparation, the second : school, university, professional training and the third : personalized medical and social monitoring. These 3 fields of action are evaluated every year, we also evaluate the school results, the general functioning, the quality of the supervision, the installations and also the medical follow-up. This evaluation is annual, it is made on two sides : via the federation by the CTN and the head of the pole, and via the DRJS. A bad evaluation can call into question the opening of a pole. This is where the role of local authorities is with the construction of infrastructure. There are also conditions for the installation of poles, as an example of handball with France handball pole in Besançon with a partnership with ESB f and the great results it has obtained. Another example : France canoe-kayak hub transferred from Besançon to Nancy.     

 

 

 

1) Pole training aid structures :      

 

- school sports section (college, high school) (Ministry of National Education), is not part of the mechanism in favor of the high level. Result of local initiatives.        

- Training centers for professional clubs = structures initiated by professional clubs (training and education system for young people) (approved by the Ministry of Youth and Sport)        

 

Note : pole coach = officials, training center = technical managers hired by the club

 

2) Financial aid to AHN    

 

personalized aids

Money paid directly to AHN by the State.

Each FD has a global envelope within the framework of its objective agreement.

The distribution of its aid is the responsibility of each FD.

- cover the costs actually borne by the athletes for their sports activity or their training        

- also corresponds to performance bonuses        

- social assistance for athletes whose resources justify it temporarily        

- they can also compensate for a loss of salary linked to a professional activity that the high-level athlete can no longer exercise.        

 

From a fiscal point of view, they refer to different situations, for example : performance bonuses are exempt from charges, exemption from social charges but limits

capped ...

 

Note : the money comes from the CNDS (levied on FdJ sports betting, 5% tax on TV rights)

 

financial aid from local authorities

 

This is not an obligation in theory, but in practice, often various aids.

Aid from regions that favor AHN (less general councils)

Franche-Comté : " winning combination "  

 

Note : variable from one individual to another

 

4) Aid for training and professional integration    

 

 financial aid in the form of scholarships     

Territorial communities of the regions (less DRJS measure).

Free Sports Teaching Training.

 

 training aid     

Development of studies for schools.

Physiotherapy, pedicure, podiatrist : a few places reserved for AHN.

Arrangement for BEES.

 

 employment aid     

- Public service competition, AHN exempt from the required level (by equivalence).        

Career planning for AHN officials (close to training location, timetables, etc.).

 

- professional integration agreements with companies        

 

 

MJS DRJS

 

 

          Companies

 

- aid for business creation         

They take the form of a loan (1% rate)

CNDS money

Agreement between MJS and ANPE, APEC ...

AHN personalized follow-up when looking for a job.

 

CONCLUSION :

 

In France, AHN benefits from favorable mechanisms and structures and this is the particularity of the French system.

Expensive devices, the budget of the MJS is low (- 1%), it is a limiting factor to the development of the status of high level athlete for a greater number of athletes.