Rules for medical certificates and sport in France
Rules are different for adults and children and were recently changed
Medical certificates are obtained from a GP
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September is a traditional time to sign up to sports clubs in France - both for adults and children, with tens of thousands of federations around the country covering activities for people of all ages.
Depending on the type of activity, and the rules of the federation however, participants may be required to provide a medical certificate proving they are capable of playing the sport.
Below, we look at the rules for both children and adults who may need to obtain a certificate.
It is important to note that the appointment for obtaining a medical certificate – that is made with a GP – is not reimbursed by social security, however your private insurance (mutuelle) may cover part or all of it.
Different federations have different rules for children
Pupils returned to schools in France this week for the start of the 2024 - 2025 academic year with numerous changes introduced, including an experiment to ban smartphones for secondary school pupils.
Read more: What changes in schools for the 2024 autumn rentrée in France
One thing that has not changed however is the encouragement for children to pick up an extra curricular sport.
Ranging from team sports to shooting, children can pick from dozens of different sports if they are available in their local area.
Certain children can benefit from the Pass Sport, a €50 voucher to help them join an after school sporting activity.
Depending on the sport – and who is running the activity – a medical certificate may be required for the child to participate.
Generally, sports run by an external federation require parents to complete a medical questionnaire for their children, proving they can play the sport.
In some cases, a medical certificate attesting this is required.
This is usually for sports that involve lots of physical contact, high physical exertion, or potential danger (kickboxing, biathlon, etc).
The medical certificate must be less than six months old.
You can find if the sport your child wants to do requires a medical certificate here through the official government simulator.
In cases where the sport is not run by an official federation but is just a general or local sports club, they are not obliged to ask for a certificate, but it may be part of the club’s internal rules to do so.
Sports run by school federations (that is, not autonomous sporting clubs) do not require a medical certificate, except for certain disciplines with high levels of physical exertion or contact sports.
However, certificates only have to be less than one year old, as opposed to six months, for participation.
Are the rules the same for adults?
Adults wishing to take up a sport may also need to provide a medical certificate in some circumstances.
Rule changes in 2022 dropped the requirement for many sporting federations to require participants to provide a medical certificate.
It is now up to each federation to decide if they require one, except for certain sports played at a high level or with extreme physical exertion, where they are still mandatory.
However, a medical certificate for an adult lasts for three years. To participate in some competitions however, it must be less than one year old.
Upon the annual renewal of their licence with a sporting federation, an adult can fill in a questionnaire confirming they are still fit to play the sport, alongside an older medical certificate (providing it is less than three years old).
Read more: How trail running has boomed in popularity in France
