Is a medical certificate required for sports?

Verified 05 September 2023 - Legal and Administrative Information Directorate (Prime Minister), Ministry of Sport

The requirement to provide a medical certificate depends on how you practice the sport: within a club affiliated to a sports federation or not (commercial or associative structure), alone or school environment.

Club

The regulations differ depending on whether the club is affiliated with a sports federation or not.

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Not affiliated with a sports federation

Your club may ask you to provide a medical certificate attesting to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport or discipline concerned.

It is not a legal obligation, but a condition linked to the club's rules. The frequency of presentation of the certificate shall be laid down in the internal rules of that body.

Affiliated with a sports federation

The regulations differ depending on whether you are an adult or a minor.

You're an adult

Depending on the sport, you may be required to obtain a medical certificate.

The certificate must attest to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport or discipline concerned in competition.

Ask your club or federation for more information.

Who shall I contact
You're a minor

The obligation to provide a medical certificate depends on the discipline practiced.

Sports disciplines with special constraints

These disciplines include:

  • Underwater diving, particularly underground diving
  • Sports, practiced in competition, for which the fight can end by K-O (English boxing, kick boxing, savate, ...)
  • Sports involving the use of firearms or compressed air weapons (shooting, ball-trap, biathlon)
  • Sports, practiced in competition, involving the use of vehicles, with the exception of go-karting and radio-guided motor modeling (motorsport, motorcycling)
  • Motonautical sports (jet-skiing, hovercraft,...)

In this case, you must provide a medical certificate dated less than 1 year on the day of the license application. The certificate must attest to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport concerned.

Other sports

You need to fill out a health questionnaire with the help of your parents.

Depending on your answers to the questionnaire, you will need to provide one of the following documents to obtain your license:

  • Questionnaire information certificate
  • Medical certificate attesting to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport concerned. The certificate must be less than 6 months old on the day of the license application.

Alone

If you wish to participate in a sports competition, the registration procedures differ according to the organizer: sports federation or other organizations (town hall, association).

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Competition of a sports federation

Open to unlicensed sportsman
You're an adult

Depending on the sport, you may be required to obtain a medical certificate.

The certificate must attest to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport or discipline concerned in competition.

Ask your club or federation for more information.

Who shall I contact
You're a minor

You need to fill out a health questionnaire with the help of your parents.

Depending on your answers to the questionnaire, you will need to provide one of the following documents to participate in the competition:

  • Questionnaire information certificate
  • Medical certificate attesting to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport concerned. The certificate must be less than 6 months old on the day of the competition.
Reserved for the licensed athlete

You must obtain the competition license.

Competition of other organizers (town hall, association)

If you wish to participate in a competition organized by a city hall or an association, the organizers may ask you to provide a medical certificate.

Academic

A school may not require a medical certificate to attend mandatory PSE courses.

On the other hand, he can ask for a medical certificate of incompetence (total or partial) from any student who wants to be exempted from the course of PSE.

The regulations differ according to the sport.

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General case

To obtain or renew a license from a school sports federation (UNSS, UGSEL, USEP), you do not need to present a medical certificate.

Sports with special constraints

Some sports have specific safety requirements:

  • Underwater diving, particularly underground diving
  • Sports, practiced in competition, for which the fight can end by K-O (English boxing, kick boxing, savate, ...)
  • Sports involving the use of firearms or compressed air weapons (shooting, ball-trap, biathlon)
  • Sports, practiced in competition, involving the use of vehicles, with the exception of go-karting and radio-guided motor modeling (motorsport, motorcycling)
  • Motonautical sports (jet-skiing, hovercraft,...)

To obtain or renew a license from a school sports federation (UNSS, UGSEL, USEP) to practice one of these sports, you must present a medical certificate.

The document must attest to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport or discipline concerned.

It must also be less than 1 year old on the day of the license application.

To obtain this certificate, you must perform a specific medical examination. For more information, contact your doctor.

Do you need a medical certificate to play sports?

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • Medical Certificate of Non-Contraindication Information Service

    By email

    CMNCI@sports.gouv.fr

  • Sports Federation