In light of the current situation in France (overcrowding in prisons and a significantly high rate of recidivism), it is essential to ensure optimal integration of individuals under judicial supervision.
The agreement signed in 2009 between the Regional Olympic and Sports Committee of the Côte d’Azur and DISP PACA/CORSE aligns with this objective.
The Penitentiary Games should be understood as the culmination of a period of training and regular practice of sports activities within penitentiary establishments that wish to participate.
These Games are meant to create a dynamic around sports in the months leading up to the event and essentially comprise the training period. Beyond athletic performance, it is the involvement and perseverance of the incarcerated individuals, supported by sports instructors or volunteer supervisory staff, within a comprehensive sports practice project, health prevention actions, and also participation in a collective project that should be the main criterion for selection to participate in the event itself.
Thus, at the dawn of the new edition planned for September 2016, DISP PACA/CORSE has decided to organize mini Penitentiary Games within two detention centers in its jurisdiction (Avignon and Nice).
This will be a first in France within a detention center. Based on the same principle as the Penitentiary Games held outdoors at the CREPS in Boulouris, the mini Penitentiary Games will gather, over a week, the voluntary individuals under judicial supervision from the respective establishments to challenge each other in different sports disciplines. The range of proposed sports is quite broad: Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Football, Pétanque, Rowing, Volleyball, and Table Tennis.
The Nice edition will take place from June 20 to 24.
Again, this will serve as a full-scale dress rehearsal and an opportunity for the entire organizing team to refine their preparations one last time before the full-scale 2016 Penitentiary Games at the CREPS in Boulouris and the nature base in Fréjus.
