WorldSkills Lyon 2024 unveils its Sports & Skills exhibition 

WorldSkills Lyon 2024 was recently awarded the “Grande Cause Nationale” (Great National Cause) label by the French Ministry of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In line with this honor, the organization has launched its Sports & Skills programme, aiming to establish lasting links between sports and professional skills. The programme kicked off in April with a traveling photo exhibition. 

France will host major international events this year such as the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer. In light of these events, French President Emmanuel Macron made the decision to elevate Sports to the rank of Great National Cause in 2024. WorldSkills Lyon 2024 has therefore made the commitment to promote the power of sports within societies, particularly among young people, by highlighting the numerous connections and parallels between WorldSkills Competitors and athletes, and by celebrating the common values between skills competitions and sports competitions.  

Through a dedicated programme named Sports & Skills, WorldSkills Lyon 2024 aims to establish the WorldSkills Competition as a unique intersection where professional and sporting skills converge. The Organizing Committee has forged significant partnerships with various sports clubs and teams in the Lyon region, including the LDLC ASVEL elite women’s basketball club, ASUL Vaulx-en-Velin Handball club, and the Vaulx-en-Velin National ESport Club & Community (NECC) association. In close collaboration with public, private, and non-profit organizations at regional and national levels, and with the support of numerous partners in the sports community, targeted initiatives will be implemented throughout the year to highlight the societal significance of sports.  

“The parallels (between WorldSkills Competitors and athletes) are obvious. It’s the same involvement, the same commitment and, above all, it’s about building self-confidence, so as to have the right gesture on D-day. It’s about having the Right Gesture at the Right Time, and it’s valid in sport, particularly in basketball, but also in each of the skills that will be represented during WorldSkills Lyon 2024.” 

Paoline Salagnac

The Right Gesture at the Right Time 

The Organizing Commitee unveiled the first initiative of the programme, the traveling photo exhibition titled “Le Bon Geste au Bon Moment” (The Right Gesture at the Right Time), which draws a parallel between the excellence of professional and sporting gestures. The goal of this exhibition is to promote the skills acquired through sports and their relevance in the professional sphere.  

We are honored to collaborate with champions such as former international basketball player Paoline Salagnac, now director of the LDLC ASVEL elite women’s basketball club, and Mehdi Bensafi, Taekwondo and Parataekwondo Sport Manager for the Paris 2024 Olympic Committee and President of the Vaulx-en-Velin National Esport Club & Community (NECC). The opening event of the exhibition took place on 19 April during the ASUL Vaulx-en-Velin handball game against Clermont, with members of the WorldSkills Lyon 2024 Organizing Committee, as well as education and sports leaders. The exhibition will now be showcased at various locations in the city of Lyon to allow a large number of people to discover the common power of sports and skills.