One year of Game Changer Paris: 200 women and girls in motion
Contributing to the Olympic Movement means helping to build a better world. NOC*NSF does this with Game Changer, a project aimed at making a difference for certain groups in the host country of the Olympic Games who do not typically engage in sports. During these Summer Games in Paris, the focus was on girls and women in the 19th arrondissement. The result? 124 women learned to ride a bike, and 80 girls now participate in sports at a local District Spot.
In the 19th arrondissement, the sports participation of girls and women is lower than in the rest of the city: about 59% of women here exercise for at least an hour weekly, compared to 69% in the rest of Paris. For the girls a 'District Spot' was launched; a project that has been running in the Netherlands for some time. At the Spot the girls not only focus on weekly activities and sports, but also on personal development. For the adult women, there are cycling lessons (as an extension of the existing Vélo École project). This not only helps them to move and exercise, but also broadens their world and makes it easier for them to participate in daily life in Paris.
Both projects not only affect sports participation but also the self-confidence, health, and independence of the women and girls.
Watch the video about the project in Paris.
From Paris to Los Angeles
As the Games in Paris come to a end, NOC*NSF is already looking ahead to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Los Angeles plans to build on the foundations laid by the Game Changer Project. The contents of the project are still being discussed. The Game Changer Project in Paris will continue into next year as well.
Collaboration with local organizations
Game Changer is a success thanks to the great involvement of several local porganizations in Paris who have dedicated themselves daily to the girls and women. Rosa Parks Centre Social et Culturel and Régie de Quartier 19e have taken charge of the cycling lessons (from the existing local initiative Vélo École), and Fútbol Más has overseen the District Spot. NOC*NSF has been supported in its implementation by the City of Paris, the IOC, and the Dutch Embassy in Paris.