What will be the legacy of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris 2024? Could it possibly be the reinstatement of parkrun in France? It may be a surprise to hear that parkrun in France has been suspended since the global shutdown during the Covid pandemic.

Getting the French nation to be more active is a message that has been hammered home in the host country for several years. "Making French people move more is more than an objective; it is an issue which has concerned us in constructing our project," said the Paris 2024 Local Organising Committee, which has been putting many public health initiatives in place.

In the autumn of 2021, President Macron indicated his desire to boost the amount of sport the general population does. An amount of €200 million over three years was allocated to build or renovate 5,000 local sports facilities.

These are huge and expensive ambitions yet for a fraction of the cost, the return of parkrun France could see large numbers of people being more active in a safe and supportive way.

So what has caused the suspension of parkrun in France? There has been a protracted legal wrangle regarding the requirement for a medical certificate to participate in competitive sports activities in France. The argument hinges on whether parkrun is a 'competitive sports activity'. The requirement for every participant to obtain and produce a medical certificate is not practicable and is untenable for parkrun's hard-pressed volunteer officials.

However, there is now a chink of light appearing as there has been a recent change in legislation in France, removing the requirement for a medical certificate, and an online Health Prevention Course and self-certification process has been introduced by the French Athletics Federation for athletes wishing to enter conventional races.

So will we see the imminent return of parkruns in France? We shall have to wait and see but what a joy it would be to have parkrun du Bois de Boulogne Paris back in operation for the 2024 Olympics.

The complex legal situation in France is explained in this parkrun France blog...

Photo of Paris parkrun by Laurent Dessirier