Hexcel and AURA
Hexcel Collaborates with Local Group to Further Support Sporting Activities for Those with Disabilities
Hexcel supplies lightweight composite materials for manufacturing prosthesis products and wheelchair wheels to better enable people with disabilities to participate in sporting activities. To further our involvement in this area, the company is working closely with the Auvergne Rhone Alpes (AURA) Handisport League, which promotes, structures and organizes adapted sports activities for people with physical and sensory disabilities.
Created in 1966, the AURA Handisport League represents the French Handisport Federation in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The League encourages developments and innovations that help improve the performance of athletes in this growing sector, such as:
- Training in sports and support professions, specializing in disabled sports as well as management and supervision of structures organization of regional, national and international competitions
- Promoting disabled sporting activities threw discovery days and trips
- Detecting high-potential athletes
- Providing support and expertise for national and international events
For Hexcel, supporting AURA is a way to provide additional local support for people with disabilities. Thierry Merlot, President, Aerospace Europe – Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa & Industrial, said, "Our lightweight materials help support people with disabilities, and we want to go even further by supporting athletes who outdo themselves."
Hexcel will be involved in a number of initiatives, including :
- Supporting handisport athletes, in particular by helping to finance ski training courses for high-potential young athletes as part of their sports training with a view to the next 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps;
- Supporting a pair of sportsmen as part of the "Lyon 2 Paris" challenge: 100 tandems made up of a visually impaired person and an able-bodied person will hit the road on August 23 to join the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games;
- Involvement with the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes handisport league committee and the Ain handisport committee by taking part in the events and providing financial support.
Thierry said, “Hexcel and the AURA Handisport League share strong commons values, such as innovation, responsibility, and performance, and both embrace diversity and believe that innovation is fostered by new ideas and perspectives, which make this collaboration a natural fit.”
