On April 24, 2025, there were more than 500 young people from 16 MFRs from the Centre-Val de Loire region to meet in Meung-sur-Loire for a day as intense as it was inspiring. Far from a simple sporting event, this regional meeting allowed a generation of young rural people to reclaim their well-being, to reflect on their relationship with others and their place in the world, through the prism of sport. In a global context often marked by divisions, this day sowed seeds of unity, openness and collective action.
Sport as a field of expression and reflection
On the field, 35 sporting challenges punctuated the day: Olympic and Paralympic events, team sports, games of skill or coordination... All were designed to allow young people to engage physically, but also to experience concretely solidarity, inclusion and self-improvement.
Alongside these physical challenges, 5 citizen workshops have made it possible to explore fundamental subjects such as gender, addictions, self-image, living together and even place of sport in peacebuilding. Led by two volunteers fromEurope Direct, these times of reflection offered a rare space for free, caring, and sometimes disconcerting exchange, where young people spoke with frankness, humor, sometimes anger, often hope.
The result? A lively, abundant, authentic speech, which does not seek to please, but to speak. To speak of doubt (“sport does not create equality”), to speak of intuition (“sport soothes tensions”), to speak of vision (“sport is a way to let off steam without violence”), and above all to speak of desire: that of a fairer world.
A European commitment born on a sports field
Beyond the day, this regional mobilization made it possible to nurture a much broader ambition: that of contributing to the final recommendation of the European plea of rural youth for a world at peaceAmong the nine European recommendations, three emerged directly from the Meung-sur-Loire event. Three strong convictions, formulated by the young people themselves, as benchmarks for tomorrow:
- Promote sports, creative and outdoor activities as levers for physical and mental well-being : Because we think better when we breathe better. Because mental health also comes through movement.
- Using team sport as a tool for diversity, mediation and understanding of social rules : Because playing together is already learning to live together. And on a field, the rules apply to everyone.
- Promoting sport as a universal language in the service of peace and international inclusion : Regardless of language, culture, or origin, sport speaks to everyone. It's a space where we can compete without destroying each other.
A symbolic guest: Masomah Ali Zada
The intervention of Masomah Ali Zada, an Afghan cyclist who took refuge in France, was a highlight of the day. A member of the Refugee Olympic Team, she powerfully embodies the emancipatory power of sport. Her poignant testimony served as a reminder that Sport can be a space of freedom, existence and resistance, especially for those whose rights are denied. In front of the young people, she spoke frankly about the challenges of exile, but also about the strength of the sports community to rebuild their lives.
From words to action: heading for the European Parliament
The day concluded with a symbolic awards ceremony, rewarding the young people who had particularly made an impact on the event through their involvement, team spirit, or the accuracy of their reflections. Their reward? A place at the National Rural Youth Festival at the European ParliamentA well-deserved recognition and a strong symbol: rural youth have their place in European decisions, and they prove it.
