Université Côte d’Azur involved in the international COOPJOP project for sustainable Olympic Games
- Institutional
- International
on the February 9, 2026
Université Côte d’Azur is participating in the official launch of the international COOPJOP project, a unique initiative promoting cooperation between host regions of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Alongside European and North American partners, the university is mobilizing its scientific expertise to promote the long-term health of athletes and the resilience of host regions.
Officially launched at the opening ceremony of the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, the COOPJOP project brings together the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region (lead partner), the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the Lombardy Region, the State of Utah, the City of Salt Lake City, the University of Utah, and Université Côte d’Azur. Selected in July 2025 as part of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs' call for projects on sport and decentralized cooperation, COOPJOP will run from October 2025 to December 2027.
In this context, Université Côte d'Azur is putting its scientific expertise at the service of the sustainable health of athletes and territories, with the ambition of making the Olympic Games true demonstrations of resilience. In partnership with the University of Utah, the university is contributing in particular to the deployment of four pilot research projects related to the sustainability objectives of the Winter Games:
- studying air quality at sports venues,
- injury prevention among athletes,
- environmental water management and emissions reduction,
- interactions between sports nutrition, immunity, metabolism, and environmental exposure.
This work will be accompanied by the creation of an environmental database, designed as a decision-making tool for local public policy.
Structured around five thematic working groups—sustainable Games, access to sport for all, high-level sport, civil society participation, and Olympic site legacy—the COOPJOP project aims to share best practices between the host territories of the 2026, 2030, and 2034 Games. Field visits are planned from 2026 onwards in Italy, the French Alps, and Utah.
"Through this project, Université Côte d'Azur is fully affirming its role as an impactful university: a university that does not simply produce knowledge, but puts it at the service of its region, its stakeholders, and major structuring events. COOPJOP also illustrates the ability of local authorities to rely on their university to develop public policies based on research, innovation, and scientific knowledge," Jeanick Brisswalter, President of Université Côte d'Azur.
The academic communities involved have already expressed their desire to extend this work to other major issues, such as mental health, the post-Olympic legacy, security, and mobility, thereby reinforcing the project's international and sustainable ambition.
