Foundation
A story in the making since 2005
To have a positive impact on the lives of vulnerable people and communities through the benefits of sport. In every project we support, sport brings joy, creates human bonds, promotes well-being, develops skills and encourages professional integration. We collaborate with non-profit organizations that run comprehensive programs for beneficiaries. In these programs, our support is centered on sport: our DNA.
"Since 2005, when our Foundation was created, thousands of Decathlon team-mates and hundreds of associations have supported people in need through sport.
You experience wonderful human encounters and life-changing moments that leave a lasting impression.
All your projects are sporty, local, sustainable and impactful. They enable all these beneficiaries to simply be happier, healthier, freer and more autonomous. Thank you!"
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 "Un vélo pour elles" project
In 2006, the "Un vélo pour elles" project was born. In the rural region of Tiznit, Morocco, it takes between 2 and 5 hours a day to walk to school. For this reason, 70% of girls drop out of school along the way.
The aim of this Foundation project was to provide 200 young 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 achieved a success rate in their baccalaureate exams that is 3 times higher than the national average.
100 projects supported worldwide
100,000 beneficiaries supported by 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, went out 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 evolved towards professional integration. Decathlon project leaders are now tasked with helping beneficiaries discover the pleasures and benefits of sport, as well as providing concrete support for their integration (help with CV writing, interview simulations, job presentations, with a view to internships, work-study contracts, fixed-term or permanent contracts) into the structure of their choice.