Ten thousand steps and more. Driven by the enthusiasm for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games (JOP), many people are expressing a desire to take up… or take up sport again. Thus, 24% of French people and 42% of young people said that the JOP would encourage them to take up sport, according to a study carried out by Odoxa in April 2024 for the French Mutualité.
Why do we decide to play table tennis, swim, or run a half marathon? The performances of Léon Marchand and the other Lebrun brothers certainly serve as a model. But that’s not all.
Indeed, “Motivation is based on several dimensions, according to studies in the scientific literature: that related to the beliefs one has about the positive and/or negative effects of physical activity, the ability to change one’s own behavior – based on what we have experienced or those around us – and that related to behaviors and environmental influences.”explained Julie Boiché, professor-researcher at UFR Staps in Montpellier at the end of 2022.
Where to find motivation? If we are to believe the same study by the French Mutualité cited above, “stay healthy” It is by far the main motivation for the French to play sports (71%). “A determining element in long-term investment is the quality of motivation, self-determination, that is, “am I doing things for myself?”, “Do I want it?”, rather than a commitment based on mandates (reward, social pressure, etc.) “, stresses Emma Guillet-Descas, professor and researcher at the Laboratory of Vulnerabilities and Innovation in Sport at Lyon-I University. We know that the environment is decisive.
Pleasure above all
But in the end, what matters most is the pleasure we get from it. “The biggest obstacle to motivating teenagers to engage in physical activity or sport remains the lack of fun and pleasure”The National Observatory of Physical Activity and Sedentary Lifestyle (Onaps) indicated in a review of the literature on the factors influencing physical and sports activity and sedentary lifestyle among young people (10-19 years).
What will be the long-term effect of the Games? It could only be short-lived. A literature review, analysing thirty-six scientific articles, showed that the impact of mega-sporting events on sporting practices, the success of elite athletes or teams and publicised athletes is negligible or mixed.
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