Live from the Acropolis and for the fourth consecutive year, the City of Nice honored yesterday the champions from Nice who distinguished themselves during the 2011 sports season.
With the 2012 Olympic Games in sight, the 4th edition of the Victoires du Sport kicked off at the Acropolis! As in the previous year, it was Christophe Josse, the voice of sports on Canal +, who officiated as the master of ceremonies to reward more than 300 athletes from Nice across about fifty disciplines. The Mayor of Nice and President of Nice Côte d’Azur, Christian Estrosi, was of course present to also congratulate those dozens of athletes “who proudly carry the colors of our azure capital.” “The year 2011 has once again been a great year for sports in Nice and it will continue, I’m convinced!” he proclaimed during a long speech directed at the leaders and athletes of the Côte d’Azur.
An evening with a show atmosphere
The Victoires du Sport not only provide an opportunity to review the best performances of athletes from Nice in France and worldwide, but also serve to present a sports retrospective on the past year. Throughout the evening, numerous films were shown presenting, among other things, the major clubs of the Côte d’Azur, the Francophone Games taking place next year, as well as the athletes from Nice who will be defending France’s colors at the London Olympics. The event was further enhanced by several performances to turn the evening into a true show: dance by the Hip Hop group from the association “Eveil ton art,” a musical performance by singer Priscilia, and, most notably, performances worthy of the greatest cabarets from the DUO Pilar and Double Dutch groups.
Swimming once again at the top
Of course, the Victoires du Sport ceremony also and primarily aims to elect the champion of champions from Nice in the categories of Women, Men, and Para-sports. Internet users participated in the voting on the City of Nice website. The final result reflected both the votes from Internet users (50%) and the professional journalist jury known as “Quinze de la Presse” (50%). In the Women’s category, it was no surprise that swimmer Camille Muffat won the trophy. Among the Men, another swimmer, Yannick Agnel, took the title ahead of sailor Jean-Pierre Dick, who was a heavy favorite. Finally, in the Para-sports category, it was Benjamin Landier, world champion of paratriathlon and para-cross triathlon, who won the silver plate handily.
