Sports & Skills: interview with Paoline Salagnac

LDLC ASVEL Féminin – Paoline Salagnac © Infinity Nine Media / Claire Porcher

Paoline Salagnac, a former international professional basketball player, is doing us the honor of collaborating with us as part of our Sports & Skills programme, which aims to build bridges between sports and professional careers. She now works as Sports Director for the LDLC ASVEL women’s basketball club, and is also responsible for the development of all the club’s social commitments. We talked with her about the similarities and shared values between sports and skills competitions.

You are currently involved in the Sports & Skills programme of WorldSkills Lyon 2024, which aims to develop lasting links between sports and skills competitions. Did you know about the WorldSkills movement before joining the Programme?

I’d heard a bit about it one or two years ago, but I didn’t really know what it was about. I’d seen that it was a competition, but I didn’t know exactly what skills were represented. It’s with great pleasure that, by joining the Sports & Skills Programme, I’m gradually discovering the scope of the project and the parallels with the quest for excellence that we have in top-level sport. I think we can make the comparison with WorldSkills Lyon 2024 and how we can prepare for such a competition. The synergy with a sportswoman preparing for a competition is the same. There are a lot of things in common.

Sport has an obvious societal role, and whether in the corporate world or in sport, it’s essential to showcase young talents. What do you think of the parallel between WorldSkills Competitors and athletes?

The parallel is obvious: in the quest for excellence, but also in the work that goes into preparing for an important deadline. Between a young girl in training who wants to become a professional basketball player and a young person who wants to perform in their skill: it’s the same involvement, it’s the same commitment and, above all, it’s about building the self-confidence to do the right thing on D-day. This is what we’re showcasing in the exhibition “Le Bon Geste au Bon Moment” (The Right Gesture at the Right Time): it’s about having the right gesture at the right time, and it’s valid not only in sport, in basketball for example, but also in each of the skills that will be represented during this Competition.

“What’s important, whether you’re a sportsperson or a WorldSkills Competitor, is to give 100%, to give your best on D-day.”

Through its values and principles of inclusion and diversity, the WorldSkills Lyon 2024 Organizing Committee is committed to promoting gender equality – through the Sports & Skills Programme, but also with other actions. You seem to share these values, since your role at ASVEL is closely linked to this commitment. Can you tell us about this?

When I was introduced to the programme and the values behind WorldSkills Lyon 2024, we immediately identified with our own values: not only did I identify with them, but the LDLC ASVEL féminin also identified with those commitments. As a company with a mission, we have a strong commitment to promoting the place of women in society, and to working to open up the field of possibilities and break through the glass ceilings that women can impose on themselves. And I think highlighting the profiles of young girls and women who excel in their sectors of activity opens up the field of possibilities for new generations. WorldSkills does this wonderfully. Showing that every skill can be practiced by a young man or a young woman in the same way, with the same performance and the same high standards. These values of inclusion, gender diversity and openness to the world of possibilities are values that are fully reflected in our commitments as a company with a mission.

Like athletes, WorldSkills Competitors are coached to give their best in competition. As a former Captain of a professional sports team, would you have a message for the Competitors who are currently undergoing their physical and mental preparations for the WorldSkills Competition in September?

Believe in yourself. Above all, do not doubt. A competition takes time. A lot of things can happen. It’s hard to predict how things are going to turn out, but remain confident in your abilities. You’ve prepared for this event, you’re continuing to prepare for it, and I’m convinced that on D-Day you’ll find the means to perform and in any case to give the best of yourself, because that’s what’s important too. What’s important, whether you’re a sportsperson or a WorldSkills Competitor, is to give 100%, to give your best on D-day. That way, if nothing else, you will have no regrets.

To find out more about our Sports & Skills programme, visit our dedicated page.