News
Wrestling: International Course in Tourcoing
At the end of the Female Wrestling Grand Prix in Tourcoing, won this year by Poland, the various delegations extended their stay in the area to take part in an international course running from 14 to 19 February 2010.
The project leaders met with the various delegations from Poland, Tunisia, Mauritius, Germany, Romania, Italy and France, who were able to take advantage of collective training sessions each day at the new sports complex “L'Atelier”. Zouheir Sghaier, Tunisian team trainer, joined with the delegation manager in stating their “satisfaction and gratitude” with the warm welcome and the facilities offered by Tourcoing and the local club (Tourcoing Wrestling Club). They also stated their desire to return next year.
For European female wrestlers, this international course is the opportunity to carry out some final preparations ahead of the European Championships taking place in April.
Other international teams are expected to take part in this course in 2011 so as to prepare for the World Championships in Turkey, serving as qualifiers for the London Olympic Games in 2012.
(Photograph opposite: Aurel Suteu, Romanian team trainer, Jan Godlewski, Polish team trainer, Giovanni Schillaci, Italian team trainer, Bernd Fleig, German team trainer, Gérard Santoro, French team trainer, Zouheir Sghaier, Tunisian team trainer, Richard Chelmowski, Mauritian team trainer, during the presentation of the project named "le plus grand terrain de jeux" (the greatest playing field)).
Results of the 2009 Anneaux d'Or (Golden Rings)
Sébastien Bosquet, from Dunkirk, and recent European champion with the French team, has been named local sportsperson of the year!!
For the very first time "le plus grand terrain de jeux" joined forces with the Regional Olympic and Sports Committee (CROS) and the Nord Pas-de-Calais Regional Council in jointly leading the "Anneaux d'Or" award giving ceremony, which took place at the Nouveau Siècle venue in Lille, on Friday 6 February 2010.
On this occasion, the Olympic Silver medallist in boxing, Daouda Sow, promoted the event and presented the awards.
The awards ceremony paid tribute to many sporting personalities. Dunkirk born handballer, Sébastien Bosquet, received the award for 2009 sportsperson of the year (world champion in 2009 and recently European Champion 2010).
Other sports stars also received awards, notably Capucine Rousseau, who received the people's award, as tennis champion and having qualified for the Fed Cup the previous weekend.
As part of this event, three Olympic athletes were honoured and received awards from “le plus grand terrain de jeux” for their outstanding performances in 2009; they were Mathieu Goubel (Canoe- Kayak), Mélanie Lesaffre (Wrestling) and Pierre-Etienne Pollez (Rowing).
Organising Committee Meeting - Thursday 4 February 2010
Organising Committee
For its first meeting of the year, the Organising Committee of "le plus grand terrain de jeux" chose the Tom Souville Base in Sangatte. It was the chance for the project leaders to discover and visit the new facilities in the Calais area for the first time.
The purpose of this Organising Committee meeting was to outline the projected planning for the year ahead. The 2010 schedule, already full, will include some major events and many preparatory courses:
- Courses for the French volleyball A team (50 days) in Calais and Dunkirk
- French Volleyball Tournament with the USA (current Olympic champions), Argentina (9th in the world rankings) and France (European silver medallists) in Calais and Dunkirk
- Course for the French Espoir Handball team at Billy Montigny
- Course for the French women's boxing team at Grande-Synthe (60 days)
- Hockey Celtic Cup at Le Touquet (Holland, Scotland, Ireland and France)
- Basketball Summer League (Belgium, Côte d'Ivoire, silver medallists Canada)
- Women's basketball tournament between avec France, Japan, Canada and Belarus at Villeneuve d'Ascq
- Course for the French and the United-States (Paralympic champions) Wheelchair basketball teams at Berck-sur-Mer
The 2010 schedule is available by visiting the internet site www.leplusgrandterraindejeux.com.
This meeting also enabled representatives from local authorities to take stock of the local initiatives implemented as part of the 2012 London Olympic Games programme (events in local areas, organisation of sporting events, ties with economic and tourist sectors, implementation of local organising committees, etc.).
With the London Olympic Games approaching, efforts will be increased, this year, with a view to informing the international sporting world of the measures implemented.
Finally, the Organising Committee approved the strategy to be developped in 2010 to host the paralympic delegations.
In 2010, sporting facilities in the Euro-region are expected to welcome almost 140 international delegations.
Wrestling: 6th Grand Prix and international course in Tourcoing
On 13 February, at the Léo Lagrange complex, the sixth edition of the Wrestling Grand Prix in Tourcoing will take place, as part of the Programme of Events of the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles. In keeping with this large-scale event, “le plus grand terrain de jeux” is sponsoring several national teams to take part in a preparatory course, supported by the Tourcoing Wrestling Club. This will also be the chance to introduce the new sports complex in Tourcoing named “L'Atelier” to these international delegations; this venue was inaugurated on 10 October 2009 by Michel Delannoy, mayor of Tourcoing, Michèle Demessine, Vice-President of Lille Métropole and Alain Bertholom, President of the French Wrestling Federation.
Tunisia, Poland, Italy, Germany, Romania. The Czech Republic and Mauritius will be represented. Each of these teams will take part in this course alongside the French team, with the course assisting in preparations for the European Championships to be held in April 2010.
Tournament Programme:
Saturday 13 February 2010, from 8.30am to 1pm and from 2.30pm to 8pm
at the Léo Lagrange Complex, Rue des Anges in Tourcoing.
The French Weightlifting Federation visits Saint Pol sur mer
On Monday 1 February, Lionel Gondran, National Technical Director, and Frantz Felicité, Director of French Weightlifting Teams, made a visit to the “Ferme Marchand” Complex in Saint Pol sur Mer.
This is one of the three sites approved by “le plus grand terrain de jeux” (Saint Pol sur mer, Comines and Berck sur mer).
This meeting allowed the federation to discover the new facilities which will receive official seal of approval from “le plus grand terrain de jeux” on 22 July 2010. The French teams will use this site to train between 19 and 30 July 2010 prior to the World Championships in Turkey.
This course will also enable other delegations to be welcomed prior to the World Championships in Paris 2011, which will serve as qualifiers for the London Olympic Games.