Parkour and free running founders David Belle, Sébastien Foucan and Charles Perrière today launched The Mouvement – the Mouvement International du Parkour et Freerunning.
The Mouvement International du Parkour et Freerunning will serve as a focal point for efforts to drive universal awareness, appreciation and engagement for parkour and free running.
Parkour founder David Belle said: “When my friends and I first realized that the games we played as children had become something more than that, we know we had created something special. But we had no idea just how much parkour would appeal to people all around the world. We have seen the positive ways parkour has touched so many lives and we want to truly share parkour and freerunning with the world. “
Set in motion by the creators of parkour and freerunning, Mouvement International du Parkour et Freerunning will be an international, member-based, non-profit group that brings together national associations, together with other members of the related community. The Mouvement International du Parkour et Freerunning’s vision is: “A greater state of wellbeing for human kind by connecting people with their environment and each other through physical activity, helping achieve strength and balance for all.”
Sébastien Foucan, founder of free running said: “Something very powerful happens when people are able to reimagine their surroundings as an opportunity for the kind of playful and creative physical activity that has always been a vital part of humanity. For more than 20 years, I have worked to share this with others and look forward to continuing to do so. I believe that free running and parkour can be especially positive for people in difficult environments, including displaced people and people living in areas that are less developed. For me, this is a logical evolution of our community.”
While bringing together parkour and freerunning groups from around the world, The Mouvement International du Parkour et Freerunning will also address several priority areas of work. They include the development of programmes to use parkour and freerunning as a means for delivering positive social change and peace, the welfare of practitioners, gender equality, respect for the environment and the creation of an exemplary governance structure.
Charles Perrière, founding member of the Yamakasi said: “It is only 17 years since my friends and I first brought parkour to the world through the medium of television. For parkour to have already become the most searched and viewed lifestyle sport on YouTube is amazing. But this is only the first part of a journey that will last much longer. We have created International Movement for Parkour and Freerunning as a gathering place to ensure parkour and free running community continues to go from strength to strength, and in a balanced way.”
The Mouvement International du Parkour et Freerunning draws on a wealth of existing efforts within the parkour and free running community, including Parkour International, created in 2010, and also Parkulture, the world’s biggest online community for parkour and free running, with more than 500,000 Facebook fans.