LAURA FLESSEL, A CHAMPION WITH A HEART OF GOLD

The double Olympic gold medallist, in conjunction with the educational programme ‘Envole-toi’ and with support from the Fondation Jean-Luc Lagardère, intends to assist future champions in their sports and educational careers.

‘Envole-toi’ will assist four fencing seeds from poor families by giving them a first contact with the high level whilst ensuring that their tuition continues. This is also a way of contributing to the cultural openness and citizenship that is required to practice high level sport. Tuition is provided by students from the AFEV (Association de la Fondation Étudiante pour la Ville), an association that has been approved as being complementary to the public education system.

Laura Flessel, double Olympic fencing medallist and a recent medalist at the World Fencing Championship in Turin, Italy, conceived of Operation Ballestra (“ballestra” is the name of a fencing move that means “jump forward”). This programme provides the appropriate gear to small fencing clubs with limited financial means and to underprivileged children who would like to practice the sport. Laura wants to help her sport take a “jump forward” by democratizing fencing.

Help from the Fondation Jean-Luc Lagardère in 2007 has allowed the champion Laura Flessel’s association Ti Colibri to distribute fencing equipment to small clubs with limited resources.