The 32nd World Championship of Palhasso Throwing will be held on February 3, 2021. The perfect time to get rid of bad memories generated by the health crisis during 2020, which still persists today. For this occasion, the local competition will be broadcasted later, at 8 p.m., on Radio Nissa Pantai (www.nissapantai.com), the traditional radio station of Nice.
The term “Palhasso” is a Nice dialect word that refers to one of the three traditional characters of the Nice Carnival, represented by a straw puppet that is bounced on a sheet during the world championships of Palhasso throwing. An old local custom, a New Year tradition. The goal is to throw the puppet embodying all accumulated worries as far as possible. This represents a symbolic method of getting rid of and forgetting the difficult moments experienced in the past. Today, it is clear that the post-Covid year 2020 should be erased as soon as possible.
The Competition Program
For health reasons, Nissa Pantai is organizing the championship in a symbolic manner. The competition will exceptionally gather only six participants, aged 7 to 11. These children are asylum seekers and are housed by the API Provence association in Ariane. They have had three training sessions in three different neighborhoods of Nice: St Charles (01/13), St Roch (01/20), and Lingostière (01/27).
About the Palhasso Throwing
This sporting event is free. Since its creation, it has been linked to the Independent Carnival of Saint-Roch. Teams are made up of two people and each represents an existing or imaginary country. Ordinarily, there are four age categories, but this year, for health reasons, only one will be retained: category 2 (children 6 to 11 years old).
The world record (15.30 meters in length) has been held since 2007 by the team from the County of Nice “Lu poetas”, represented by Joan PICCINELLI and Romieu MARTIN.
The world records for all categories are:
- 15.30 meters (Nice team, 2007) for category 4 (adults).
- 6.45 meters (France team, 2016) for category 3 (teenagers).
- 5.90 meters (Italy team, 2016) for category 2 (children).
- 1.50 meters (Mars team, 2009) for category 1 (babies).
