
Since the creation of the Performance Pact at the end of 2014, ENGIE has sponsored approximately twenty high-level athletes in their preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In two Olympics (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020), Team ENGIE has won nine medals, three of which are gold. For the eleven ENGIE team members, all eyes are set on 2024.
Axel : © Sailing Energy, Elodie : © Fédération Française de Pentathlon, Alex : © Eric Bellande, Wilfried : © Stephane Kemp, Luka : © International Judo Fédération, Madeleine : © Stéphane Bonnet, Pierre : © RiBLANC, Pauline : © Laurent Masurel, Raphaël : © Sebastien Besancenez, Poema : © Sailing Energy et Fabien Lamirault : © Arnaud Mellah.
Among them (from left to right, starting from the top line), Axel Mazella (Kitesurfing), Elodie Clouvel (Modern Pentathlon), Alex Caizergues (Kitesurfing), Wilfried Happio (400 m hurdles), Luka Mkheidze (Judo), Madeleine Malonga (Judo), Pierre Le Coq (iQFoil windsurfing), Pauline Ado (Surfing), Raphaël Beaugillet (Tandem para-cycling), Poema Newland (Kitesurfing) and Fabien Lamirault (Para table tennis).
Initially through its two historical sports – women’s tennis and athletics – the Group has, since 1992, fostered a culture of supporting high-level athletes, but above all young prospects, most of whom have become leaders in their sport, such as Nathalie Tauziat, Amélie Mauresmo, Jean Galfione, Stéphane Diagana, David Douillet, just to name a few.
The Group decided to reorient its Team towards athletes whose only goal is participating in the Olympics and Paralympics. As such, ENGIE was amongst the first companies to join the Performance Pact, an initiative launched in late 2014 by the Ministry of Sport to optimise the performance of French teams at the 2016 Rio Games. The Group therefore sponsored a Team of 5 athletes: in-depth support that is as much a matter of territorial proximity as it is of helping to develop the sport. Amongst them were Hélène Defrance and Pierre Le Coq, who both won a bronze sailing medal, and generated very strong support from employees, both for their preparation and at the Brazilian event.
In 2018, ENGIE once again renews its support for approximately ten French athletes in their preparation for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, in line with its long-term commitment to French sport, for which it has been an active partner for 30 years.
Nine of these athletes shone bright in Tokyo, winning a total of seven medals, three of which were gold.
In parallel, the Group is supporting two great hopes of French kitesurfing, who have dreams of shining in Paris in 2024 for their first participation in this sport:
These two young hopefuls are accompanied by confirmed athletes Pierre Le Coq (sailing), bronze surfboard medallist at the Rio Olympics (2016), who is training for the 2024 IQ Foil competition, and Alex Caizergues (Kitesurfing), 4x world champion and world speed record holder, whose goal is to beat the world speed record on water.
Choosing athletes is done in collaboration with the Ministry and with our regional delegates, to support the Group’s territorial influence and address challenges in major regions, as part of a proximity-based approach that supports the local environment. Chosen with ENGIE’s Regional Delegates, selected athletes become ambassadors for our actions, as a way of promoting regional environments.
To be eligible for the Performance Pact, athletes must fulfil the following two prerequisites:
As a partner of French sport for 30 years, ENGIE thereby reaffirms its unwavering support to young French athletes at the heart of our territories, supporting their performances and revealing their talents.