Foundation
A story that’s been going on since 2005
To have a positive impact on the lives of people and communities in vulnerable situations through the wonders of sport. In every project we support, sport brings joy, creates human bonds, promotes well-being, develops soft skills and encourages professional integration. We collaborate with non-profit grassroots organizations that run comprehensive programs for beneficiaries. In these programs, our support is focused on sport: our DNA.
“Since 2005, when our Foundation was created, thousands of Decathlon teammates and hundreds of associations have supported people in vulnerable situations through sport.
You experience wonderful human encounters and life-changing moments that leave a lasting impression.
All your projects are sporting, local, sustainable and impactful. They enable these people to be happier, healthier, freer and more independent. Thank you so much!”
Jean-Pierre HAEMMERLEIN
Director
Our key dates
Creation of the Decathlon Foundation
Creation of the Decathlon Foundation which promotes the integration of disadvantaged people through sport.
→ The Foundation's first 2 projects: Gol de Letra in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and Sport dans la Ville in Lyon, France.
Emblematic “A bike for them” project
In 2006, the project "Un vélo pour elles" was born. In the rural region of Tiznit in Morocco, it is necessary to walk between 2 and 5 hours a day to get to school. For this reason, 70% of the girls drop out of school along the way.
The objective of this Foundation project was to provide 200 girls with bicycles to enable them to get to school more easily. We followed them from the age of 11 to 18. These girls have since obtained a success rate at the baccalaureate 3 times higher than the national average.
100 projects supported worldwide
100,000 beneficiaries supported through Foundation projects
Immersion project in India
In 2014, the Foundation and Decathlon India teams launched a pilot immersion project. The starting point? A striking observation: only 15% of the Indian population would be able to become customers of Decathlon stores and therefore have access to the benefits of sport.
To gain a better understanding of the economic, social and cultural constraints faced by these populations, as well as their needs and aspirations, 30 employees-mostly from Decathlon India and working in a variety of professions-go to meet the inhabitants of eight towns with contrasting realities (shanty towns, peri-urban and rural villages).
At the end of this immersion, the objective was clear: identify innovative projects to make sport accessible to as many people as possible and reinforce Decathlon's social impact in India. This approach will give rise to a number of meaningful initiatives, developed in collaboration with the Foundation.
The Foundation's mission is evolving
In 2015, the Foundation's mission changed to focus on professional integration. Decathlon project leaders now have the task of helping beneficiaries discover the pleasures and benefits of sport, as well as providing practical support for their integration (helping them to write CVs, simulating interviews, presenting careers, with a view to internships, work experience schemes, fixed-term contracts, permanent contracts) in the organisation of their choice.