Sport Cancer Foundation Puts Sport at the Heart of the Fight Against Cancer

Founded in March 2026 and publicly unveiled in late September, the Sport Cancer Foundation wants sport to play a full role in the fight against cancer. Its founder, Alain Bouhy, is a marathon man, and the idea came to him on the starting line of a major race.

A conversation at the New York City Marathon

It all started with a conversation between runners. At the New York City Marathon, Alain Bouhy, founder of the Beaujolais Marathon, met a participant who had decided to donate $500, on top of the cost of his race entry, to cancer research. That meeting sparked the project.

Back in France, he reached out to people in sport and oncology, the medical specialty focused on the study, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Among them was Marie-Christine Plasse, president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regional Olympic and Sports Committee, who became a co-founder. The Sport Cancer Foundation officially came into being on March 23, 2026. It is a private, independent, non-political and secular family foundation hosted by Fondation de France.

It was then presented in two stages: first on September 16 at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, then to the press on Wednesday, September 30, at the Groupe Amaury offices in Boulogne-Billancourt. Amaury Sport Organisation, which runs major events including the Tour de France, has lent its support, with its president Jean-Étienne Amaury in attendance.

An Olympic patron and strong support from the running world

For such a young organisation, the list of supporters is already impressive. Judoka David Douillet, a two-time Olympic champion (1996 and 2000) and world champion, is its patron. Isabelle Ray-Coquard, an oncologist and university professor and hospital practitioner at Claude Bernard University and the Léon Bérard Centre in Lyon, is its ambassador.

The group also includes former 400m hurdles world champion Stéphane Diagana, ultra-trail champion François D'Haene, sports journalist Patrick Montel, the Finishers platform and the French Athletics Federation. Other sports are represented too, including the French Tennis Federation, chaired by Gilles Moretton, and beach volleyball player Aline Chamereau. Marie-Christine Plasse sums up what brings them all together: « Sadly, we all know someone who has been affected by cancer. »

Three missions, one fundraising target

Mobilise the sporting world to fund research, support healthcare professionals and assist patients
Promote adapted physical activity before, during and after illness
Bring more sport into hospitals by building bridges between sport and healthcare

The foundation aims to raise €3 million over three years, with plans to expand nationally first and internationally thereafter. The scale of the challenge is significant: an estimated 3.8 million people in France are living with or beyond cancer.

Projects planned for 2027

Several projects are being developed with the executive committee and Fondation de France, with launches planned from 2027 onwards:

1,000 “sport packs” to give patients the motivation and means to start or resume adapted physical activity
“1,000 hours of sport” to fund supervised sessions at sports facilities across France
MOVE'UP, an experimental protocol dedicated to sport and cancer
“Reach for the Stars” and “Dream Sport”: two initiatives focused on childhood cancers
A national campaign to establish the idea that sport has a place in the fight against illness

The flagship project: an institute in Lyon

The most ambitious project is the creation of the Institut national Sport Cancer (INSC) in Lyon, in partnership with UNICANCER. The aim is to bring researchers, doctors, physical activity professionals and sports stakeholders together under one roof. It is hoped to open in early 2028. Alain Bouhy explains the thinking behind it with a simple observation: « Every hospital works on its own. We want to bring together what is scattered so we can do better.»

Jean-Yves Blay, director general of the Léon Bérard Centre and president of UNICANCER, provides the medical backing. He points out that the main risk factors are well known, with tobacco and alcohol at the top of the list, but that physical inactivity and excess weight also play a significant role. In his view, physical activity lowers the risk of developing cancer, improves the effectiveness of treatment and limits side effects. For patients in remission, it can also help prevent fatigue and other health problems. Isabelle Ray-Coquard shares the same vision: making physical activity part of the care pathway, giving patients back their strength, confidence and quality of life.

A story that speaks to runners

The message is also aimed at the running community, which understands the connection between effort, health and solidarity. Marathons, trail races and mass-participation events bring together huge numbers of runners every year, and many already race for a cause. The foundation has not yet set out how it will work with these events, but its origins, born from a race bib, suggest they will play a role.

With strong support, concrete projects for 2027 and an institute in the pipeline in Lyon, the Sport Cancer Foundation is off to a solid start. Whether you are a runner, an occasional participant or simply a supporter, its vision of sport helping patients and advancing research is one worth backing.