28th Francophonie Festival unveiled with Olympic champion as ambassador

To usher in the excitement for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 28th edition of the Francophonie Festival is themed around sports.

The festival's press conference was held at the French Cultural Center in Beijing on Thursday, with representatives from the embassies of Gabon, Canada, France, Guinea, Morocco, Switzerland, Tunisia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Quebec office in Beijing and the Wallonia-Brussels delegation in China in attendance.

Chinese fencer and Tokyo Olympic Games gold medalist, Sun Yiwen, was invited to serve as the ambassador for this year's Francophonie Festival. French, being not only an official language of the Olympic and Paralympic Games but also the refereeing language of fencing, has played a significant role in Sun's career. For her, learning French was not just about competing, it was also about deepening her understanding of the sport and immersing herself in the allure of Francophone culture.

With less than five months until her third Olympic journey, Sun hopes the Francophonie Festival will be an opportunity for the public to discover the charm of the French language.

French speakers span across five continents, with the population exceeding 320 million people and expected to surpass 750 million by 2050. The diverse Francophone world has always been an integral part of the modern Olympics, and this festival aims to reaffirm that fact. Coordinated by the French Cultural Center and in collaboration with various Francophone countries' embassies and delegations in China, this year's festival promises a rich array of events that reflect unity.

Over twenty exciting activities, covering French boxing, French-language films and a national French competition etc, will take place across several cities in China. Whether you're a Francophone curious about the language, a learner, a speaker, or simply a lover of French culture, there will be something of interest for everyone.