The French Ministry of Defence has just over two hundred high-level sportsmen and women among its civilian and military staff. With this unique feature, the ministry of defence is the leading incubator for top-level sportsmen and women and the first contributor to the State's support for high-level sport.
The Army of Champions includes able-bodied top-level athletes, with military status, recruited into the various services Army, Air and Space Force, Navy and Gendarmerie. The athletes with disabilities are recruited as part of the defence plan for the wounded conducting their rehabilitation through sport, with civilian status, recruited by the General Secretariat for Administration SGA.
These athletes all practice a recognized high-level discipline. They are recruited by the Military Sports Commissioner, who is in charge of the National Defence Sport Center CNSD , during annual commissions, in the presence of representatives of partner sports federations and the civilian sports world, who have been informed beforehand of this application. They are recruited as privates for the military and as under-contract agents level III for high level civilian athletes and handicapped athletes.
Placed under the responsibility of the Military Sports Commissioner, these high-level defence athletes SHND benefit from pay, professional training, support in the event of an injury, career transition prospects and a framework of values shared with the armed forces. In this way, the Ministry of Defence provides them with a balance that is essential for high performance and to concentrate fully on their sporting objectives.
It thus also provides significant support to the Ministry of Sports and the Olympic Games and to the sports federations which provide all their resources in terms of preparation and equipment.
