The ceremony at the OIF headquarters in Paris, which was attended by Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, French Minister of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, related to the use and promotion of the French language and La Francophonie at the Paris 2024 Games.

This agreement commits Paris 2024, among other things, to use the French language on communication media, in announcements and comments throughout the Games period as well as during official ceremonies.

"Organising the Summer Games in Paris is a great opportunity to promote the French language and the Francophonie," Estanguet said. 

"With Paris 2024, we are fully committed to it and this is what the signing of this convention with the International Organisation of La Francophonie symbolises today. 

"You can count on us to continue to open the Games wide to the entire Francophone community around the world and to promote French and the Francophonie during our Games!" 

Mushikiwabo stressed that La Francophonie shares common and universal values with the Olympic Movement, including the promotion of sport, culture and education for a better world.

"Our logos carry the same message: the five colours of La Francophonie represent the five continents to which its 88 states and governments belong, while the rings of the Olympic Games constitute the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from all over the world during the Games.

"As you will have understood, the OIF, on behalf of the 321 million Francophones and the youth of our area, is committed to sport and its values for better living together. 

"The OIF is committed to Paris, the city that hosts the headquarters of the OIF and a member city of the International Association of Francophone Mayors, which will be the heart of the world during the summer of 2024 where everything will be done "faster, higher, stronger".

An OIF statement added: "Paris 2024 will collaborate with the OIF, if specifically needed, to identify dedicated French-speaking professionals to support the implementation of its commitments.

"Paris 2024 will also leave a legacy for future Organising Committees of the French translations that have been carried out as part of the commitments of this convention and, more broadly, the measures taken in terms of cultural and linguistic diversity.

"For its part, as at every Olympic deadline, the OIF will write a report on the use and promotion of the French language and the Francophonie during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, on the basis of observation work carried out in particular thanks to the French-speaking volunteers who will be mobilised.

"The OIF is also committed to supporting advocacy with the International Olympic Committee and International Federations for the inclusion of French-language terminologies concerning new Olympic sports, to adapting these lexicons to young audiences, in particular through educational and fun resources and tools, and to producing educational resources in French on the values common to the Olympic Movement and La Francophonie.

"The OIF has committed, among other things, to organising a major Francophone cultural event during the Olympic Games."

The agreement comes as final preparations are being laid for the ninth Francophone Games, last held in 2017, which are due to take place in Kinshasha, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from July 28 to August 6.

The Francophone Games are due to feature nine sports but also a range of cultural activities, including dance music, poetry sculpture and painting as competitors from the French-speaking world converge once again.