Several U16 basketball players at the Pole France training academy in Paris were assaulted by older teammates during a hazing incident on the night of September 13 to 14, 2026, according to the specialist website BeBasket, which first reported the story. The Institut National du Sport, de l'Expertise et de la Performance, known as INSEP, which oversees the academy, has opened an administrative investigation into what happened.
The trouble is believed to have begun as a hazing ritual, in which older players subject newcomers to initiation rites, but it turned into serious violence. Several teenagers who had only just joined the U16 squad were reportedly beaten by more senior teammates, according to BeBasket. What was supposed to be a light-hearted welcome for new recruits was, by all accounts, nothing of the kind.
At least one player was hospitalised and several suffered psychological effects as a result, the website reported. One of the young athletes complained of abdominal pain and underwent further medical examinations, the results of which were described as "reassuring," INSEP said in a statement published on Wednesday, September 16.
What happened at the academy
The Pole France basketball programme is run at INSEP in partnership with the French basketball federation and trains some of the country's most promising teenage players as part of the pathway that feeds France's youth and senior national teams. The U16 category brings together some of the best prospects of their age group from across the country. Pole France Basket has for years served as a springboard for leading players, including Victor Wembanyama, the National Basketball Association's first overall pick in the 2023 draft, who trained there before beginning his professional career.
State-run and overseen by France's sports ministry, INSEP hosts national training centres for dozens of sports, from athletics to judo, at its campus in the Bois de Vincennes, on the eastern edge of Paris. Because the Pole France programme is residential, most of its young players live at the INSEP campus during the school year, combining basketball training with their studies. That boarding structure is why INSEP's statement referred to the sanctioned individuals as "residents" of the academy rather than simply players.
INSEP response and sanctions
INSEP said it acted as soon as it was alerted, notifying the families of the players involved and opening what it called an administrative investigation. An investigation of this kind is separate from any criminal proceedings and is aimed at establishing internal responsibility and whether players or staff breached the academy's rules. As a precautionary measure, the institute also barred ten players from accessing the facility while the inquiry continues.
Sanctions have since been imposed on ten residents of the academy, including one permanent expulsion, according to the report. The scale of the punishment, affecting ten players and including an outright expulsion, underlines how seriously INSEP treated the case.
Fabien Canu, INSEP's director general, said the institute would establish the full truth of what had happened and determine everyone's share of responsibility. He added that INSEP would never compromise on the safety and the physical and moral integrity of its athletes.
Hazing carries criminal penalties in France
Hazing, known in French as "bizutage," is a criminal offence under French law. France's anti-hazing legislation dates back to 1998, when it was introduced to cover organised humiliation or violence carried out as part of an initiation in schools, universities, sports clubs and other institutions. It is punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of 7,500 euros, regardless of whether the victim consented to take part.
The families of the victims are considering filing a criminal complaint over the incident, according to BeBasket. Should they do so, the case could be examined separately by prosecutors, independent of INSEP's internal investigation, since hazing is treated as a criminal offence under the penal code rather than solely a disciplinary matter.
