Press release

03/2022

Bashir Abdi, Cynthia Bolingo, Charline Van Snick, Hanne Claes and other athletes embark on a new sports and social project

Nearly 20 top athletes are joining Jean-François Lenvain in the One+1 to 2024 project.

After Give & Take, Jean-François Lenvain and the Ladbrokes foundation are launching One+1 to 2024, an extended and more advanced version of the sports and social project set up in recent years. About twenty athletes will be financially supported by the foundation in order to refine their sports coaching and their projects outside sport.

Among others, this list of athletes includes: Bashir Abdi (marathon), Cynthia Bolingo, Hanne Claes (athletics), Charline Van Snick, Lola Mansour (judo), Nigel Bailly (motorsport), Thierry Dutrieux (para-cycling), Claire Michel (triathlon), Zizou Bergs (tennis), Chloé Caulier (climbing) and Anna Van Bellinghen (weightlifting).

Even on crutches, Cythia Bolingo, one of the symbols of the Give & Take project, didn't want to miss the opening of the exhibition that highlighted the conclusion of her work with "La Ligne Blanche". The work painted by young people she accompanied is exhibited at Tour & Taxis as part of the Affordable Art Fair.

Jean-François Lenvain took the opportunity to launch the second phase of his project supported by the Ladbrokes foundation: One+1 to 2024.

"The year 2024 is for the sports world synonymous with the Olympic Games," says Jean-François Lenvain, the man behind the project who defines himself as the teammate of all these athletes. "We have decided to guarantee our financing for the next three years. The athletes can therefore work with peace of mind. They will have the human and financial means to develop in their discipline."

The project is therefore a continuation of the previous one. "The first goal was to allow athletes who do not always have the means to have all the tools and support to perform. We have put in place a team of specialists, with former athletes, in various fields related to sports. And besides that, our selection criteria was to have committed people."

The first members of the team have all done well in their sport and in their various actions. Lenvain, however, wanted to push them further in their thinking. "That they become social entrepreneurs," he summarizes. "In my opinion, being active outside of sport allows you to learn new skills, build a network for later on and gain confidence. When you lose, for example, four times in a row in the first round, being active outside allows you to put things in perspective. You can't train 24 hours a day. For many athletes, there is a gap between the quality they put into training and the poverty of what they experience on the side. The life of a sportsman must be at the level of the Champions League in all its aspects."

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