Sanofi is gearing up for another major sports sponsorship in its home country, this time with the 2027 Tour de France.
The French pharma will be the first company to sponsor the prestigious white jersey, which recognizes the best rider under 25, at both the Tour de France and the women's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Sanofi will use the sponsorship and the races' massive global reach to “engage the public on health and science education” through initiatives developed in collaboration with patient organizations and healthcare professionals, it said in an Oct. 16 release. The programs will focus on prevention and patient support and take place throughout 2027 in stage towns, fan zones, along the race routes and online.
Between 10 million and 12 million spectators line the Tour de France route each year, providing a major audience alongside the estimated 150 million TV viewers the race reaches in Europe and broadcasts in 190 countries, according to Sanofi.
“The Tour de France has a unique ability to reach millions of people across France and around the world. We are harnessing this extraordinary reach in service of health,” Sanofi CEO Belén Garijo commented in the release. “Just like a cycling team in the peloton, where riders succeed by working together, we believe scientific progress is also a collective effort. Through the power of sport, we can connect with people, raise awareness of diseases and prevention, and make health information more accessible.”
In a one-minute video accompanying the announcement of Sanofi as a major partner of the race, the drugmaker further connects the cycling competition to “the race for better health," with a montage of fast-paced cyclists and cheering spectators interspersed with footage from Sanofi's labs.
“We’ll ride alongside the next generation of men and women who will compete for the white jersey and the future it represents,” a voiceover says, as the video shows a cyclist wearing the Sanofi-branded white jersey, complete with sleeve stripes and shorts in Sanofi's signature purple. “Like us, they know what it takes to keep going until they cross the finish line.”
The video calls the 2027 launch Sanofi's “largest health awareness campaign” and ends with a visualization of the race route outlined in Sanofi purple.
“Wherever the tour goes, we go,” the voiceover says. “The race for health is on.”
The partnership reflects both Sanofi's recent history of sponsoring major sporting events and its shared French roots with the Tour de France, bringing together “two institutions born in France and now recognized around the world,” Sanofi explained, noting that the two “share a commitment to excellence and endurance.”
By sponsoring both the women's and men's races, the company reflects a “coherent and inclusive vision of sport, excellence and visibility,” it added in an FAQ.
Through its recent sports partnerships, Sanofi has carved out a niche in “turning global reach into meaningful health impact,” as the company put it in the release.
In 2024, Sanofi launched what it called at the time the “biggest corporate activation” in its history during the Summer Olympics in Paris. The marketing push included digital activations throughout the event and its “Igniting Potential” campaign, which drew parallels between Sanofi scientists and Olympic athletes.
Last year, the company used the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race to raise meningitis awareness by displaying the meningitis flag on two-time Le Mans winner United Autosports' No. 59 McLaren during the race, with the team's drivers also sporting the flag's colors.
More recently, Sanofi returned to the Olympic stage as an official health partner of the Special Olympics Unified Football World Cup in Paris. Also this year, the company sponsored Boston's involvement in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with its head of external engagement, Tanisha Sullivan, joining an advisory board supporting the city's preparations for the tournament.
Elsewhere, Sanofi is using pickleball to encourage older adults to protect themselves against COVID-19 with its Nuvaxovid vaccine through a “Serve Up Protection” campaign with USA Pickleball. The company expanded its sports-related partnerships for Nuvaxovid with a new celebrity spokesperson, NBA champion Karl-Anthony Towns, who helped lead the New York Knicks to their first NBA title in 53 years this year.