Organized by the departmental Olympic and sports committee of Alpes-Maritimes in partnership with the departmental council and the departmental directorate of social cohesion, this large free sports initiation event took place this Wednesday in Villefranche-sur-Mer.
Aimed at children and teenagers aged 4 to 14, “the goal is to introduce several disciplines on the same level,” explained Christian Manassero, President of the Departmental Olympic and Sports Committee of Alpes-Maritimes, yesterday on the Mariniรจre beach in Villefranche.
The young participants had the opportunity to take part in a multitude of sports activities:
athletics, baseball, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics – trampoline, handball, field hockey, judo, karate, road safety course (FFST), pรฉtanque, scuba diving (ESSM), boules, Sport in rural areas, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, and more…
The “Sports Caravan” aims to transmit the Olympic values of respect, friendship, and excellence. Workshops were set up at the “Red Card to Violence” stand and various games, contests, and activities on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, explained the CDOS06 President. “You can also learn life-saving gestures alongside the firefighters of SDIS06,” emphasized Christian Manassero.
“But this year, the main theme of our project revolves around women’s sports. It is the female athletes who will be highlighted.” Enough to make aspiring champions shine, who struggle to reach the highest peaks due to lack of funding or recognition on the national scene. As a reminder, France will host the Women’s World Cup next summer, with six matches taking place at the Allianz Riviera in Nice.
Feminization in sports demonstrates the need to work for real equality between women and men. The overall percentage on the 2017 Sports Caravan tour favors boys with 57% of participants, but girls are gradually closing the gap. They were 43% during the previous event. This is yet another proof that this event is a fantastic showcase with undeniable educational potential.
The only downside of the day was the intense heat, which did not seem to discourage the curious and the 44 facilitators, present in large numbers on the small sandy beach bordering turquoise water at over 20 degrees Celsius. “But we were also supposed to welcome day camps, which were not allowed to join us due to the heatwave.” In the absence of any cooling, tomorrow’s event, scheduled at Cannet – Bonnard plateau -, is already canceled.
