The announcement of the launch of the 15th edition of the Europétanque was made at the DUC de Cimiez club, by its president Robert Nardelli, the departmental president Éric Ciotti, and the city’s deputy for sports Gilles Veyssière.
The competition will take place from July 23 to July 25 on the Promenade des Anglais and the Esplanade de Lattre de Tassigny.
It is a major event for pétanque in France. Together with “La Marseillaise,” a prominent competition on the French scene, it represents one of the most prestigious international tournaments where the world’s best compete.
According to Éric Ciotti, the main partner of the event, “3,000 players from 18 different nations participate.”
He adds that compared to last year, where 25,000 spectators gathered to watch the spectacle, this year, 50,000 people are expected over the three days of competition! “Add to that the million viewers present during the 8 to 10 hours of live broadcast, it’s a tremendous success.”
A lot of work awaits the hundred volunteers present at the event: “For this year’s work we are doubling the reward! So that makes zero,” jokes Robert Nardelli, president of the tournament. The department has been supporting this event for three years now, “replacing a fraudulent main partner who did not wish well for the Europétanque,” specifies Éric Ciotti. Out of the 250,000 euros making up the total budget of the competition, the department finances 150,000.
It is a strategic issue. Thanks to this event, it can develop programs initially created for other situations. The “Seniors in Action” program offers people over 55 several kinds of activities such as theater, concerts, or card games. This 15th edition of the Europétanque offers them a tournament, a new feature this year.
Alongside this conference, a qualifying precision shooting tournament was organized to allow amateur or professional players from across the department to face the international elite later on. The day’s final hosts 32 players from the initial 400 participants.
This was the opportunity chosen by Éric Ciotti to recall the department’s commitment to this sport, which represents “an identity, a culture, a way of life,” particularly for all the regions in the south of France. The Alpes-Maritimes count 8,826 licensed players spread across 123 clubs. And the department is working towards this by spending 200,000 euros this year to develop this sport.
Thibault Bourru
