Sport occupies a prominent place on the NEOMA campuses, and plays a major role in the lives of many students, whether dedicated sportspeople or keen beginners. Here we meet Jean-Baptiste and Axel, the Presidents of the Sports Bureau of Reims and Rouen.

Supported sports practice

At NEOMA, practising sport is above all a supported activity. Coaches provide help and support for training and competitions. “All sports benefit from the presence of a professional,” says Jean-Baptiste Sirabella-Zounias, President of the Sports Bureau or Bureau des Sports (BDS) in Reims “Including those that attract smaller numbers of participants.”
These coaches and trainers play an essential role with the students on the sports field. “I can talk to the women’s handball coach, for example,” explains Jean-Baptiste “That trainer is an alumnus, really passionate about the sport and very involved in the life of the team which he has been coaching for years.”

For other sports, partnerships are formed with local clubs, for example for boxing or rowing. The rowers on the Reims campus have joined forces with the Reims regatta and train with the club.

High quality facilities

In the Reims gym you can play basketball, volleyball and do fitness and it is also used as a training room for Cheerleading. Other sports areas are hired from the Resources, Expertise and sports Performance Centre (Centre de Ressources, d'Expertise et de Performance Sportive) (CREPS) of the City of Reims in order to complement the sports offer and encourage handball, five-a-side, rugby, football and athletics.


The Bureau Des Sports also has timeslots at the swimming pool for students to practise swimming. Opportunities for horse-riding and golf are a little further away, so a shuttle bus is organised.
In Rouen, almost exactly the same plans are in place. Several activities are available in the multi-purpose hall on the campus. The Gymnasium of the University Sports and Physical Activities Service (the Service Universitaire des Activités Physiques et Sportives or SUAPS) and the sports complex of the ASRUC (Association Sportive Rouen Université Club) (Rouen University Club Sports Society), both located right next to the campus, complete the facilities on offer. “Specialist rooms and a gymnasium are also rented from the City of Rouen. It is very easy to reach them by public transport” adds Axel, President of the BDS of Rouen.

Prestigious competitions

NEOMA’s sportsmen and women regularly distinguish themselves in university competitions.
Sports teams take part in the academic championships organised by the Fédération Française de Sport Universitaire (FFSU) (French Federation of University Sport), the Coupe de France des Écoles Supérieures de Commerce (France Cup for University Business Schools) (F6) and the Coupe de France de l’Enseignement Supérieur Français (France Cup for French Higher Education) (F8).

In 2019, the Reims teams took part in 6 finals, winning several including the Volleyball and Women’s Football. As for Rouen, the teams were not idle there either with 4 teams having qualified for the finals this year and others well on the way to doing so before matches were suspended because of the pandemic.

Competitions were held at weekends and training took place 2 to 3 times per week.

The typical week of a NEOMA team 

• Two evenings per week: training
• [4 Thursday afternoons per year]: F8 match (France Cup for French Higher Education)
• Saturday: F6 match (France Cup for University Business Schools)

“I did these sports to a high level (handball and judo) and I was surprised at the very good level of the School’s teams” admitted Jean-Baptiste. “The use of competition is encouraged and team members are selected by various members of the BDS and the School’s staff. It was at NEOMA that I made the most outstanding progress between the beginning and the end of a year. There is a very strong team spirit, the members are all very committed and give their all to win the competitions! “

Intensely exciting tournaments

Tournaments provide unforgettable experiences for all sportspeople and supporters of the School.
-The Derby where NEOMA teams from Reims and Rouen compete against each other
-The Great East Tournament that pits NEOMA Reims against the Burgundy School of Business
-The Great West Tournament every year brings together Audencia Business School, Neoma Rouen, Rennes School of Business and Toulouse Business School.
-The Ecricome Challenge, featuring 6 delegations from 4 leading Business Schools (Rennes SB, EM Strasbourg, Kedge Business School (Marseille & Bordeaux) and Neoma Business Scool (Rouen & Reims). The Ecricome Challenge is the third biggest student sports event in France.


“The tournaments are played over a weekend” explains Jean-Baptiste. “If we are hosting the event, we provide accommodation for the students. We also always ensure that NEOMA’s colours are proudly defended in the stands” adds the young man. “Our away matches are organised in coordination with the Cheerleading team and the band. We ensure all the teams have the benefit of their valuable support at the matches.”

The Bureaux des Sports are “in the game”

The members of the Bureaux des Sports have a duty to represent all sports offered on the campuses. There is someone with responsibility for each sport, which facilitates dialogue with the students. Every physical activity is practised by both genders, with a male team and a female team. “We are all very proud of our women’s teams” adds Jean-Baptiste. “Their results are excellent and you can be assured they are followed, encouraged, trained and supported through the competitions just as enthusiastically as the men”.

Another aspect of the BDS work consists in their great efforts to provide students with an optimal physical environment.
“We try to go even further in supporting our sportspeople by offering memberships of the sports facilities at very preferential rates so that everyone is able to work at their sport in depth if they wish to” explains Axel “Cross Training courses are also provided on the campus alongside the sports themselves. So joining a team is a real commitment but it is really worth it because you are guaranteed to have a great time! “


The BDS are also open to other sports. “Last year a ski club was formed in the Reims BDS, with the final objective of taking part in Altigliss, a competition organised by Grenoble School of Management in March” says Jean-Baptiste, and Axel adds “In Rouen, there is a BDX: a Bureau of Extreme Sports. It organises winter and summer “semis” devoted to slide sports, skiing and surfing, as well as a trek in the mountains.”

Finally, Esport occupies a ever-expanding place on the campuses. On the Reims campus it is growing apace, while the ESport team of Rouen really shone this year when they won the Esport Challenge, the biggest competition in the discipline in the Business Schools.

>More information about Esport on the Rouen campus