INSEP, the National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (Institut national du sport, de l'expertise et de la performance), is a French sport boarding school, training institute and center that trains elite athletes. It is located on the outskirts of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, in the
Bois de Vincennes.
History, activities, and structure
It was formed in 1975 from the merger of INS (the National Institute of Sport) and ENSEP (L'École Normale Supérieure d'Éducation Physique), and has roots in the 1817 Amoros Military Gymnasium.
It trains athletes in 26 different sports.
It operates under the
French Ministry of Youth and Sport, and functions based on centralized athletic partnerships with prominent high schools in Paris — such as
Lycée Condorcet
The Lycée Condorcet () is a secondary school in Paris, France, located at 8, rue du Havre, in the city's 9th arrondissement. Founded in 1803, it is one of the four oldest high schools in Paris and also one of the most prestigious. Since its inc ...
,
Lycée Saint-Louis
The Lycée Saint-Louis () is a selective post-secondary school located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, 6th arrondissement of Paris, in the Latin Quarter. It is the only state-funded French lycée that exclusively offers ''Classe Préparatoir ...
,
Lycée Janson de Sailly,
GHS Claude Monet, and The
International School of Paris — with a measure of autonomy.
As a boarding school, it provides bedrooms divided into 2 buildings: from 15 years old to 17 years old and over 18 years old.
Athletes have school on site up to the baccalaureate as well as some higher education courses.
Notable alumni

*
Nicolas Beaudan, Fencing
*
Yannick Borel, Fencing
*
Frédéric Bourdillon, Basketball
*
Marine Boyer, Artistic gymnastics
*
Manon Brunet, Fencing
*
Clint Capela, Basketball
*
Boris Dallo, Basketball
*
Stéphane Diagana, Track & field
*
Boris Diaw
Boris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod (born 16 April 1982), better known as Boris Diaw, is a French basketball executive and former player who is the president of Metropolitans 92 of LNB Pro A. Diaw began his playing career in Pro A and returned to that lea ...
, Basketball
*
Tony Estanguet, Whitewater slalom
*
Evan Fournier, Basketball
*
Romain Gazave (born 1976), Ice skating
*
Anne-Caroline Graffe, Taekwondo
*
Sandrine Gruda, Basketball
*
Ronan Gustin, Fencing
*
Damien Inglis, Basketball
*
Daniel Jérent, Fencing
*
Joffrey Lauvergne, Basketball
*
Émilie Le Pennec, Artistic gymnastics
*
Lila Meesseman-Bakir, Synchronized swimming
*
Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, Middle distance running
*
Tony Parker
William Anthony Parker Jr. (born 17 May 1982) is a French-American former professional basketball player and majority owner of ASVEL Basket, LDLC ASVEL of the LNB Élite and the EuroLeague. The son of a basketball pro, Parker started his career ...
, Basketball
*
Marie-José Pérec, Track & Field
*
Johan Petro, Basketball
*
Yves Pons, Basketball
*
Claire Pontlevoy, Artistic gymnastics
*
Lucas Pouille, Tennis
*
Cyrian Ravet, Taekwondo
*
Teddy Riner, Judo
*
Michel Sebastiani, Modern pentathlon and fencing
*
Ronny Turiaf, Basketball
Notable faculty
*
Alphonse Halimi, boxer
See also
*
Institut de recherche biomédicale et d'épidémiologie du sport
*
Sport in France
Sport in France plays an important role in French society, which is reflected in its popularity among the French people and the nation's strong sporting history. Various types of sports are played and followed in France, notably #Cycling, cyclin ...
*
Sports Studies in France
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:INSEP
National Institutes of Sport
Educational institutions established in 1975
1975 establishments in France
Universities and colleges in Paris
Sport schools in France
Sports academies