Congress in Paris: An exceptional congress featuring the world’s leading experts in sport science

Over 3,500 people from all over the world gathered at the Palais des Congrès in Paris for the 28th European College of Sport Science (ECSS) Congress. With just one year to go before the Games, and under the leadership of INSEP’s Sport, Expertise and Performance laboratory represented by the institute’s General Manager, Fabien Canu, the event was eagerly awaited by the world’s leading experts in sport science.“One year before the Paris 2024 Games, it is a great honor for INSEP to host the 28th international congress of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS) dedicated to sport science. The development, promotion and sharing of cutting-edge knowledge in the field of sport science is one of INSEP’s main objectives. This approach should help to bring science and practice closer together, which remains a major objective for the scientific community. This fantastic forum built by the ECSS offers the opportunity to share the latest research in sport and physical activity year after year, between scientists, students, coaches, physical trainers, analysts, clinicians and physiotherapists from all over the world ” explains Fabien Canu, General Manager of INSEP. The opening ceremony of the Congress was marked by a speech from the French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Sylvie Retailleau, who reaffirmed the key role of INSEP, which will be the base camp for French Olympic and Paralympic athletes during the Paris Games, providing them with customized support before and during the Games. During the pre-congress, a symposium dedicated to planning the medical agenda for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games was held by experts from the International Olympic Committee’s Medical and Scientific Commission. Based on their individual Olympic experiences, the Commission members shared their analyses of the challenges expected at Paris 2024 and described the role of the organizing committee’s medical department during the Olympic Games. To kick off the congress, the 1st plenary session entitled “𝟱𝟬 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲: 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺? ” allowed researchers Guillaume Millet and Nathalie Pattyn to focus on a fast-growing research topic in sports science: fatigue! This session crossed borders and borrowed concepts from different specialties, such as cognitive sciences, clinical psychology, exercise physiology and medical practice.