RIGES 2026: France Sport Expertise at the heart of the global sport business ecosystem

On Tuesday 30 June 2026, Business France hosted the 12th edition of the Rencontres Internationales des Grands Événements Sportifs (RIGES) in Paris, organised in partnership with France Sport Expertise and the French Ministry of Sports, Youth and Community Life.

More than 250 participants (a record number of international decision-makers) gathered for a morning designed as a true world tour of host countries, whether already organising or bidding to host major international sporting events (MISE).

France Sport Expertise took its full place at this 2026 edition, both on stage and at the heart of the day’s B2B meetings. Several of the France Sport Expertise member companies, including Keneo and Loxam, spoke directly in the plenary sessions, alongside institutions and foreign delegations presenting their projects.

For us, RIGES is not simply a networking event: it is a concrete space to meet candidate and organising countries, to show them how France can support them in delivering their projects, and to build long-term partnerships in service of their sporting ambitions. It is also an opportunity to showcase the excellence and collective strength of FSE’s members.

This gathering confirms a conviction held since Paris 2024: French expertise in venue operations, fan experience, event technology, security and legacy management has proven itself ; and stands ready to be deployed wherever the next major Games are being built

Structured around two main sessions (anticipating future host countries, then decoding the new dynamics of global sports markets),  the morning gave France Sport Expertise the opportunity to engage with several delegations, including:

• India: Sanjay Adesara (Adani Sportsline), Vidya Sagar Pappu Kali Subramanyam (GMR Sport) and Eric Le Jeunne (Keneo, a France Sport Expertise member) affirmed India’s ambition to become a major player in world sport, driven by a young population (65% under the age of 35) and the prospect of the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Milano Cortina 2026 and the 2038 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Iacopo Mazzetti (Fondazione Milano Cortina) and Florence Vallée (Loxam, a France Sport Expertise member) reflected on the economic and social success of the 2026 Winter Games (€2bn invested for €5bn in expected revenue) and the lessons to be drawn for France’s upcoming events.
• Europe’s return to the international sporting stage: with Poland (Piotr Borys and Robert Korzeniowski), Kosovo (Sports Minister Blerim Gashani, on the 2030 Pristina Mediterranean Games) and Türkiye (Bilge Donuk, Vice-President of the Turkish Olympic Committee, on the 2027 European Games).
• North America: Tayomara Gama (Gensler) on the infrastructure for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Shirin Braden (New Orleans Saints & Pelicans) on the NFL’s arrival at the Stade de France, described as a “return to its roots” and an opportunity to sustainably grow the franchise’s popularity in France.

A key moment of the morning was devoted to the Africa-France partnership, with an address by Sophie Lorant, Executive President of France Sport Expertise.

She took the opportunity to review the outcomes of the Africa Forward summit in Nairobi, which she presents as a paradigm shift in the Africa-France sporting relationship, built around three observations:

• sporting hubs in Africa are now multiple;
• a shift in France’s stance, which now speaks of investment and value creation on the continent;
• and a new, shared narrative with African authorities: Africa needs investment with it, not for it.

She noted that 40% of the world’s youth will live in Africa by 2030, making the continent one of the driving forces of tomorrow’s global sport, and identified the main challenges to anticipate as MISE multiply there: infrastructure, security, engineering, local talent development and legacy — all areas where France demonstrated its expertise during the Paris 2024 Games.

This address illustrates how France Sport Expertise intends to turn every major international gathering into concrete opportunities for its members, on a continent identified as a priority for the coming decade.

Photo credits: Anatole Miriouk