The “Army of Champions”
The French Ministry of Defence has just over two hundred high-level sportsmen and women among its civilian and military staff. Assigned to the Joinville Battalion of the National Defence Sport Center (CNSD), these athletes have formed a team known since 2014 as the "Army of Champions". With this unique feature, the ministry of defence is the leading incubator for top-level sportsmen and women and the first contributor to the State's support for high-level sport.
A unique support
The Army of Champions includes able-bodied top-level athletes, with military status, recruited into the various services (Army, Air and Space Force, Navy and Gendarmerie). The athletes with disabilities are recruited as part of the defence plan for the wounded conducting their rehabilitation through sport, with civilian status, recruited by the General Secretariat for Administration (SGA).
These athletes all practice a recognized high-level discipline. They are recruited by the Military Sports Commissioner, who is in charge of the National Defence Sport Center (CNSD), during annual commissions, in the presence of representatives of partner sports federations and the civilian sports world, who have been informed beforehand of this application. They are recruited as privates for the military and as under-contract agents (level III) for high level civilian athletes and handicapped athletes.
Soldier Solène Butruille has been a top-level Defense athlete in the Army in fencing since 2022 and is preparing for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Placed under the responsibility of the Military Sports Commissioner, these high-level defence athletes (SHND) benefit from pay, professional training, support in the event of an injury, career transition prospects and a framework of values shared with the armed forces.
In this way, the Ministry of Defence provides them with a balance that is essential for high performance and to concentrate fully on their sporting objectives. It thus also provides significant support to the Ministry of Sports and the Olympic Games and to the sports federations which provide all their resources in terms of preparation and equipment.
In return, these athletes respect the preparation and competition program set by their sports federation together with the CNSD, and they must be serious and regular in their preparation. They represent the Ministry of Defence and the Gendarmerie in national and international military and civilian competitions. They are role models to promote sports within the armed forces, and their results contribute to internal cohesion. Finally, they are also ambassadors for the armed forces to the general public.
During the year before the Olympic and Paralympic Games, they are seconded to their sports federations under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Sports and the Olympic Games.
Unique champions: military or civilian defence personnel
Civilian or military, able-bodied or disabled, they all remain subject to the statutory provisions applicable to them throughout their professional activities. They must comply in all respects with the ethics and values of the institution, the rules of behaviour and the duties to which active duty military and civilian personnel are subject.
Athletes serving under military status must also comply with the regulations linked to the military training path. As any soldier, their career is lined with training periods adapted to their specific constraints. This enables a regular progression in the ranks and a better integration into the Defence community. The participation of the high-level defence athletes in training periods is not compulsory, but it can enable them to get pay raises. For all of them, promotion depends on their yearly evaluation, which takes into account both their sporting results and their personal involvement in the institution. Their sports performances can grant them exceptional rewards.
L’adjudant-chef Ferrand, fusilier commando parachutiste de l'Air, double championne du monde civile et militaire de parachutisme qui totalise plus de 9 000 sauts et a décroché de nombreux titres internationaux a été décorée de la médaille de l’aéronautique.
Fully-fledged members, acculturated to the Ministry of Defence
Top-level defence athletes are fully-fledged members of the Ministry of Defence. Acculturation to military values is therefore essential to their careers and to their lives as supported athletes. It facilitates group cohesion and their integration within the armed forces, it enhances their intrinsic qualities and it enriches their knowledge of the institution. To this end, the CNSD organises acculturation courses every year. For about a week, top-level defence athletes come together to take part in military activities with their comrades serving in the armed forces.
On the left, Corporal Antonin GUIGONNAT, high-level Defense athlete, biathlete, training with the 12th Cuirassier Regiment in Olivet.
On the right, several high-level Defense athletes preparing for the 2024 Olympic Games in training at air base 123 in Orléans-Bricy including soldiers Guillaume MORO (climbing) and Pauline ROSSIGNOL (rowing).
Below, several high-level Defense athletes preparing for the JOP 2024 in training at the marine rifle school in Saint-Mandrier, including soldier Calvin AYE, volleyball athlete.
Sponsorships between military units and athletes from the Army of Champions preparing for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games have also been set up. The aim of this initiative is to introduce top-level defence athletes to the daily life and operational activities as well as to the traditions, values and training activities of a military unit. This proximity then enables them to fully play their role as ambassadors of the values of the soldier at local, regional and national level. It also encourages exchanges between soldiers and athletes and the obvious synergies between combat and competitive sports.
On the left, sailor Nicolas Goyard, top-level Defense athlete and 2021 iQFoil windsurfing world champion, in full preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games, is the godfather of the Suffren nuclear attack submarine.
On the right, soldier Romain Fichet, a top-level Defense athlete in the specialty of archery, in preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games, sponsors the Military Preparatory Technical School (EMPT) of Bourges.