Engaging in sport during advanced years of life: A focus on the reactivation of the sporting habitus for dependent older people in care homes

The aim of this article is to highlight possible concerns linked with the sporting experiences of dependent older people by drawing connections to their individual social trajectories. In an environment favourable to the promotion of sport in France (i.e., the Paris 2024 Olympic Games), the dormant sporting habitus seems to have been reactivated. This thesis was put to the test in an ethnographic survey of 33 dependent older people in eight residential care institutions in the Alsace region, in eastern France. The results show the different adaptations of bodily habitus in institutions for older people. Everyday behaviours were refocused to preserve a bodily identity undermined by advancing age. During preparation for a local Olympics event, physical activities reactivated the athletic part of the bodily habitus. This was integrated by some participants through competitive or recreational experiences.