The good news came late in the morning: “A second working meeting was organized this morning at the Prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes with the organizer Azur Sport Organization, the main partner which is the Departmental Council of the Alpes-Maritimes, the starting and finishing cities (Nice and Cannes) as well as representatives of the municipalities crossed, which enabled the approval of the organization of the annual edition of the Nice-Cannes Marathon on November 13, 2016.”
In the afternoon, a press briefing with institutional decision-makers confirmed it.
The aspirations of Azur Sport Organization’s organizers were comforted, as were the fears of hoteliers, restaurateurs, and merchants about losing out on such a good opportunity.
The elected officials, specialists of the “more security, less freedom” option, put their propaganda slogans in parentheses even though the guidelines to ensure vigilance would be stricter.
Ultimately, the method of consultation prevailed, and the tones between local elected officials and state services decreased in decibels.
Furthermore, since the attack on July 14 in Nice, several sporting and cultural events have been canceled.
Saying no once again would have sent a negative message regarding the territory’s ability to get back on its feet after July 14.
As for the Marathon, nearly 7,000 people were already registered, including 2,500 foreigners.
“Today I am a happy man,” affirmed Pascal Thiriot, president of Azur Sport Organization. “We must show that we are rising and not kneeling.”
This year, the event’s route will be modified as the Marathon will start from the vicinity of the Allianz Riviera stadium. The 42.195 km distance of the event is nevertheless maintained.
Other decisions regarding the organization will be made in the coming weeks.
For now, everyone’s relief was more than enough to say that the day was truly beautiful.
