The Défi sportif (French pronunciation: [defi spɔʁtif], sports challenge) is a multi-sport event for disabled athletes.
The first Défi sportif opened on April 19, 1984, under the auspices of the organization known as the Regional Association for the Recreation of Disabled Persons of the Island of Montreal.
In fact, it is the first time that associations representing all five types of disability gather to participate at one sporting event.
To that end the business community was approached and by the event's second year, numerous patrons, partners and sponsors lent their support and popular Quebec humorist Yvon Deschamps signed on as spokesman, a role he would play for the next fifteen years.
In 1998, the Défi sportif hosted athletes from eight countries, including Germany, France, Australia and Poland and was named the Quebec international sports event of the year.