The appropriation of “sport-santé” through instrumentation: The example of a French multi-sport federation

The contemporary issues surrounding «sport-santé» (health through sports) are attracting the attention of a wide range of players. To position themselves in this market as “providers of physical and sports activities,” the world of associative sport is devoting its efforts to setting up a range of tools or instruments of public action. The aim here is to examine how a multi-sport federation creates, develops, and organizes its own instrumental technology. The aim for the federal network is to play a full part in the dissemination and regional regulation of the fight against sedentary lifestyles and physical inactivity, notably through the prescription system introduced by the law modernizing our healthcare system. Is this technology a prerequisite for professional legitimacy? Does it encourage the federal network to take an interest in “sport-santé” issues, and does it establish and/or strengthen a partnership dynamic with other players, particularly in the health sector?