The Mouvement International du Parkour, Freerunning et l’Art Du Déplacement is in motion
The originators of parkour, freerunning and l’art du déplacement have united to create a new international, member-based non-profit organisation, the Mouvement International du Parkour, Freerunning et l’Art Du Déplacement (known as The Mouvement).
The Mouvement will serve as a focal point for efforts to drive universal awareness, appreciation and engagement for the disciplines.
Parkour creator and president of The Mouvement David Belle said: “When my friends, my family and I started parkour 25 years ago, we had no idea that it would come to be practiced in every country of the world. What we have created means so much to so many people that it is now logical for us to continue to promote the practices of parkour, freerunning and l’art du déplacement while also working to protecting our community. That is why we have created this new Mouvement.”
“From Afghanistan to the USA, we have seen that a sport must usually be recognized by international authorities before it can be properly promoted by the authorities, respected by municipalities taught in schools and so on. So our first priority is universal recognition. This is what will most help our community in many places around the world. We will also make sure parkour, freerunning and l’art du déplacement are not seen by the authorities as just a sport. Some people in our community are interested in competition are we will support them. But competition is not what drives us. We will continue to promote and protect all the things that make our practice so special.” said Belle.
“We will measure the success of The Mouvement on our ability to create positive social change through freerunning, parkour and l’art du déplacement,” said Sébastien Foucan, the founder of freerunning. “For children, it is instinctual to see their surroundings as an opportunity for play and for self expression through creative physical activity. Society should develop that natural behavior, instead of discouraging it as children grow up. That is a big opportunity for us to help.”
“Freerunning, parkour and l’art du déplacement create a very powerful link between people and their environment and also with each other,” continued Foucan. “We know this is especially positive for people in difficult environments, including displaced people and people living in disadvantaged areas, including conflict zones,” said Foucan.
The Mouvement International du Parkour, Freerunning et l’Art Du Déplacement is an international, member-based, non-profit group that brings together national associations and other groups for parkour, freerunning and l’art du déplacement. It has been created as an association under the French law of 1901 by David Belle, Williams Belle, Chau Belle, Malik Diouf, Sébastien Foucan and Charles Perrière.
National groups for parkour, freerunning and l’art du déplacement have already been recognized by 12 national governments and already exist in a further 71 countries.
Chau Belle, one of the founders of l”Art du Déplacement, said: “It is only 17 years we first brought parkour, freerunning and l’art du déplacement to the world through the medium of television. To already have more searches and more views on YouTube than any lifestyle sport is fantastic. But this success must be accompanied by a proper understanding of how to train properly. In developing parkour, freerunning and l’art déplacement since the beginning, we know that proper training is vital to safety, to avoiding injury to unlocking the personal growth that comes from overcoming physical obstacles. Creating The Mouvement will enable us to defend our practice while also promoting it.”
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