ACTA-GM raises awareness among the public and athletes during the French Senior Karate Championship in Chambly
The fight against counterfeiting and awareness of intellectual property issues now concern society as a whole. While younger generations remain a key audience for prevention efforts, adults, families, consumers, and sports professionals are equally affected by the challenges posed by counterfeit products and emerging forms of illicit trade.
In this context, ACTA-GM participated in the French Senior Karate Championship in Chambly through a major awareness initiative carried out under The Watchers’ Club programme.
This national sporting event provided a valuable opportunity to engage with a broad and diverse audience, including athletes, coaches, families, visitors, sports enthusiasts, and many young competitors from different regions. Through its presence on-site, ACTA-GM sought to demonstrate that raising awareness about intellectual property and anti-counterfeiting can be conducted in an accessible, interactive, and audience-friendly manner.
Sport: An Environment Directly Affected by Counterfeiting:
Today, the sports sector is heavily impacted by counterfeiting networks. Clothing, footwear, sports equipment, accessories, merchandise, and even food supplements are among the products most frequently affected by illicit trade channels.
In many cases, counterfeit products do not only represent an economic loss for brands and manufacturers; they may also pose significant health and safety risks to users. Non-compliant equipment or poor-quality products can have particularly serious consequences for athletes.
For this reason, ACTA-GM chose to intervene directly during the event to engage with the public on these concrete issues and emphasize the importance of developing more responsible and vigilant consumption habits.
Accessible and Interactive Awareness-Raising:
Throughout the championship, ACTA-GM teams engaged directly with visitors to discuss the dangers of counterfeiting, risks associated with online purchases, and the economic, health, and social consequences of illicit trade.
The approach adopted was primarily based on proximity and dialogue. Through The Watchers’ Club programme, visitors were introduced to educational materials, visual content, and awareness tools specifically designed to make these topics understandable and accessible to a wider audience.
Discussions revealed a genuine public interest in these issues. Many adults, parents, and athletes stopped by to share experiences, ask questions, or better understand the risks associated with purchases made through unofficial platforms or social media channels.
Topics discussed notably included:
- counterfeit sports equipment;
- risks linked to non-compliant food supplements;
- dangers associated with low-cost purchases on certain online platforms;
- ways to identify signs of counterfeit products;
- and the impact of illicit networks on the sports economy and legitimate brands.
Meaningful Exchanges with Athletes:
One of the highlights of this initiative was the meetings and interviews conducted with several athletes present during the championship.
ACTA-GM had the opportunity to engage directly with competitors and sports professionals to gather their views on counterfeiting issues within the sports industry, as well as their perspectives on values such as respect for work, discipline, authenticity, and merit.
These interviews highlighted an essential point: athletes themselves are becoming increasingly aware of the risks associated with counterfeit products and the importance of educating the public on these matters.
Several participants emphasized that the core values of sport, respect, commitment, merit, discipline, and hard work, are fundamentally incompatible with counterfeiting practices and illicit trade.
These discussions also added a human and practical dimension to the awareness initiative by giving a voice to stakeholders who are themselves confronted with these challenges in their daily environment.
A Mobilization That Confirms the Importance of Field Actions:
ACTA-GM’s participation in the French Senior Karate Championship once again demonstrated the importance of field-based initiatives in the fight against counterfeiting.
Today, awareness efforts can no longer remain limited to traditional institutional campaigns. They must reach people directly, encourage dialogue, spark discussion, and enable individuals to better understand the real consequences of their purchasing choices.
The Chambly event clearly demonstrated that these issues concern all generations and profiles. Young athletes, parents, coaches, visitors, and adults proved particularly receptive to the messages promoted by ACTA-GM and the educational work carried out through The Watchers’ Club.
This initiative also strengthened the visibility of the association’s educational activities and reaffirmed that prevention is now one of the key pillars in the fight against counterfeiting.
A Momentum That Will Continue:
Through its participation in the French Senior Karate Championship, ACTA-GM continues to develop innovative awareness programmes across sports, education, and public spaces.
The Watchers’ Club programme will continue to expand through new sporting events, educational workshops, public campaigns, and audiovisual content aimed at raising awareness among consumers and younger generations about intellectual property issues and illicit trade.
Because today, fighting counterfeiting also means creating dialogue, informing the public, and empowering everyone to become an active participant in vigilance in everyday life.
ACTA-GM warmly thanks the organizers of the French Senior Karate Championship, the athletes, partners, families, and all visitors who participated in this awareness initiative and contributed to the success of this important action.
