Global Sports Week Paris holds international launch in London

• Major new sport business forum is backed by French President Emmanuel Macron
• Inaugural event to take place at the Louvre, February 5th-7th 2020

French sports leaders have travelled to London to formally launch Global Sports Week Paris– a new annual forum scheduled to take place for the first time in February 2020 at the iconic venue of the Louvre.

France’s new Ambassador to the United Kingdom Mme Catherine Colonna hosted an official launch reception on September 18th at the French Residence in London, at which she was accompanied by the State’s Sport Ambassador Mme Laurence Fischer.

The evening was compered by British Olympic Champion and Global Sports Week content curator Jonathan Edwards, with high-profile guests including London-based French World Cup winners Olivier Giroud and Robert Pires; and Rugby legend Serge Betsen, together with many of the great and good of European sport business.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has conferred his high patronage on Global Sports Week, which will receive financial backing through France’s Ministry of Sports alongside further operational support from the City of Paris.

Lucien Boyer, President of Global Sports Week, said:

“It’s very special, particularly in the current environment, to be launching Global Sports Week here in London, in the company of so many friends from the UK and French sports movements.

“We chose London for this launch, recognising the city’s long-time position as Europe’s sport business powerbase. At the same time, Global Sports Week is also a reflection of Paris’ emerging status as a new focal point of world sport.

“The context of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the France 2023 Rugby World Cup is obvious – and Global Sports Week is contributing further to this dynamic.

“But this is really a global initiative, with multilateralism at the heart. We want to bring together the leaders and disruptors from across all sectors, countries and generations. The idea is that we must collaborate in new ways if we are to fully realise sport’s potential – both commercially and as a vehicle of policy and social impact.”

Global Sports Week will take place with the strapline ‘Making the future of sport.’ The event’s core agenda will focus on exploring the two-way relationship between sport and society at a time of disruptive change.

Young people from Generations Y and Z will make up a significant proportion of the delegates in an effort to facilitate direct interaction with global sport industry leaders.

The English-language event is also expected to feature well-known figures from the worlds of global entertainment and government as part of a programme of “talk show”-style discussions and interviews in the round.

The main Global Sports Week forum will take place from February 5th-7th 2020 within an event village that will host additional activations, demos and pitchcontests. An “off festival” will see further public events spread throughout the city, coinciding with France’s annual Olympic and Paralympic Schools Week.

Organisers of Global Sports Week used the launch to release the first wave of passes, which can be purchased via the event website at www.globalsportsweek.com.

It follows the announcement yesterday in Paris of French banking group BPCE as the first commercial Founding Partner of Global Sports Week Paris. UEFA and EPCR (European Professional Club Rugby) also feature among first wave of official “Proud Supporters”.

  

For more information: www.globalsportsweek.com