Groupe Amaury

Groupe Amaury, operating as Amaury Sport Organisation, is a French media and sports event conglomerate. Its core activities revolve around sports journalism and the organisation of major sporting events. The group is the publisher of the renowned daily sports newspaper L'Équipe, a flagship product that defines its media identity. Beyond print media, its scope extends to the management and promotion of significant international sporting competitions, most notably the Tour de France cycling race, which is a cornerstone of its portfolio and a globally recognised event. The organisation serves a primarily French and international sports audience, combining editorial content with event management under a unified brand that is deeply intertwined with the world of professional sports.

The scale of its operations was starkly revealed during a severe cyberattack in late January 2022. The incident, which targeted the group's digital infrastructure, forced a complete suspension of remote work and a retreat to physical offices for employees. Journalists resorted to using USB drives for file storage, and a temporary single email inbox was established for submissions, illustrating the critical disruption to daily journalistic and administrative workflows. Professional email services were inoperative for several days, compelling a reliance on an older, back-office platform considered more secure. The attack necessitated the isolation of internal systems from external networks and involved state-assisted recovery efforts without the payment of a ransom. Employee representatives voiced serious concerns regarding potential data leaks, leading to demands for emergency meetings and plans for legal action. This event underscores the organisation's significant digital footprint and the high-stakes nature of its data security, given its role in handling sensitive sports journalism and event logistics. Network security was eventually nearly restored following the incident.