The University of Montpellier is a partner of the international conference “Les Enjeux des Jeux,” taking place December 12–15, 2022
With the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Paris 2024) approaching, which will take place in Paris in 2024, the University of Montpellier is organizing, through its research team “Health, Education, and Disability Situations ” (SANTESIH), the international conference “The Challenges of the Games” in partnership with the Center for Research Social Research , Sports, and the Body (CRESCO, University of Toulouse III Paul Sabatier) and the ACHAC Research Group. It will take place from December 12 to 15, 2022, at the Corum in Montpellier.
Held under the patronage of French President Emmanuel Macron, the conference will open on Tuesday, October 13, at 9 a.m., with Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games; Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024; Michaël Delafosse, Mayor of Montpellier; and Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, in attendance. Over the course of four days, researchers from UM and around the world will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss scientific advancements in the field, thereby contributing to research in the humanities and social sciences of sport for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games aim to serve as a platform for youth education, the promotion of health through sport, and genuine gender equality, as well as an accelerator for the ecological transition and a catalyst for action toward a more inclusive and united society. These ambitious goals, which outline a political project centered on the legacy of the Games, involve various stakeholders—all of whom are, to varying degrees, heirs to the Olympic spirit—and underpin a wide range of objectives and challenges.
The "Enjeux des Jeux" International Conference in a Nutshell
The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee (COJOP) has clearly stated its ambition to host the most inclusive Games in history. Against this inspiring backdrop, academic societies in the humanities and social sciences of sport have decided to jointly organize this multidisciplinary conference less than two years before the event. In this context, the objective of this conference is to analyze, question, and offer a critical yet constructive perspective on this global event by positioning the discussions at a fair distance from militant stances (“pro” or “anti” Olympic Games). The aim is therefore to identify the key issues (in terms of both expectations and impacts) in light of the objectives set forth by the Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee. To what extent do the specialized knowledge accumulated in each scientific discipline, as well as the available tools (both conceptual and methodological), enable us to conceptualize, support, and evaluate the multiple and complex effects of the Olympic and Paralympic Games at all stages of the process (before, during, and after)? What original perspectives in research and public policy is this multidisciplinary conference likely to open up? Can we view scientific debates surrounding the Olympic and Paralympic Games as a platform for reflection and the development of interdisciplinarity?
This conference will feature 5 plenary lectures, 4 panel discussions, 28 symposia, and 104 other presentations outside of the symposia, bringing together experts for three days. It will help shape the scientific network for the coming years and contribute to research in the humanities and social sciences of sport for Paris 2024.
The University of Montpellier’s role in this conference
The University of Montpellier is internationally recognized for the excellence of its education, research, and capacity for innovation across a wide range of fields, particularly through its I-SITE Excellence Program, which brings together all of its scientific and educational resources to address major societal challenges. But the University of Montpellier also enjoys recognition and legitimacy through its ecosystem centered on sports and the human body, notably through its European research center on movement, “EuroMov Digital Health in Motion,” which aims to foster cross-fertilization between artificial intelligence, movement sciences, and health to understand human behavioral plasticity in order to improve sensorimotor performance, explore new therapeutic approaches, and find a scientific metaphor within this field. The SANTESIH team (Health, Education, and Disability) brings together social science researchers who study the dynamics of processes that create and reduce disability, particularly through the use of physical and sports activities. Finally, the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques of Physical and Sports Activities (STAPS) is today one of the leading sports science faculties in France. By sharing values and a wide range of common objectives with its partners, the University of Montpellier thus positions itself as a major player in both the organization of this event and the quality of the research that will take place. It is indeed significant that this international conference is taking place in Montpellier, a region where sports are an institution and where a large number of disciplines compete at the highest level (soccer, rugby, handball…), making Montpellier a “Terre de jeux 2024” region.