Soldiers and sportsmen: A great match!
The exhibition relates the role and evolution of the famous “Joinville Battalion”, the epitome of military sporting excellence, and its impact on French sporting performance. From the creation in 1852 of the Joinville National Military School of Gymnastics, which marked the beginning of institutionalised physical training for French soldiers, to today’s high-performance military sportsmen.
Although creating hardened fighters has always been a preoccupation for military leaders, this was institutionalised in 1852 with the establishment of the Joinville National Military School of Gymnastics which was responsible for creating the famous “Joinville Battalion” and the present-day Centre National des Sports de la Défense (National Defence Sports Centre, CNSD). Making sports part of the Forces’ activities meets three objectives: soldiers’ physical training, wounded soldiers’ reconstruction through reintegration, and the Nation’s renown through high-performance sport.
Curator
- Vincent Giraudier, Head of the Historial Charles de Gaulle Department
- Christophe Pommier, deputy Head of the Artillery Department
Soldats jouant au football dans un champ © Paris, musée de l’Armée, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais