Reference documents

As a socially responsible company, EDF encourages everyone to take part in sport. Together with the FFH (French Federation for Disabled Sport), we have helped to promote disabled sport for the last 20 years.

We encourage everyone to get involved in sport through the creation of major public events, like the Rencontres EDF Handisport, the aim of which is to raise public awareness of disabled sport, all within a celebratory and fun environment.

We make the professional integration of disabled athletes within our Group easier by enabling them to enjoy a good balance between their sports careers and their work. At present, there are 8 disabled athletes working for EDF, including Damien Tokatlian, Emeric Martin and Laurent François, the winner of multiple Paralympic medals.

As well as our support for the professional integration of top-flight athletes, we use our expertise to design equipment to help them pursue their passion. One of the pieces of disabled sports equipment developed by our R&D team is the Handifix system for fencing. This device attaches to wheelchairs allowing fencers to practice their sport safely. The Handifix system was used at the 2004 Athens Games and in Beijing in 2008. EDF also developed Orion, a patented system designed to help blind and visually impaired athletes. This tool converts the visual information captured by a camera into audible information transmitted to the visually impaired person through a headset.

In addition to its commitment to sport, EDF is also involved in practical actions to make everyday life easier for disabled people: accessibility of EDF's Bleu Ciel stores, research and development, discussion about disability and actions to promote social integration of disabled individuals through the EDF Foundation's partnerships.

In addition to our partnership with the Fédération Française Handisport, which began in 1992, and to our support of the professional integration of high level athletes, we contribute our expertise to the design of equipment for high level athletes.

Among the sporting equipment developed by our R&D department in collaboration with the FFH is the Handifix system for wheelchair fencing. This device enables competitors to fix their wheelchair to the track in order to safely practice their sport. Handifix has already been used with great success during the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

EDF has also developed Orion - a patented assisted-aiming device for vision-impaired archers. This device transforms visual information captured by a camera into audio information that is then retransmitted to the vision-impaired athlete through a set of headphones.