Final stretch for the organizers of the upcoming European Masters Games, which will take place in Nice from October 1st to 11th. Only 70 days remain before the kickoff of 11 days of sports competitions and festivities. The City of Nice’s Sports Directorate, which is behind the project, is bustling with activity.
The task is not an easy one, as organizing tournaments, races, and other events in 27 different sports disciplines over about ten days is akin to an Olympic challenge for a team whose experience with large-scale sports competitions is limited. Moreover, the European Masters Games are often incorrectly compared to the Jeux de la Francophonie, also held in Nice. The comparison is misleading for two reasons: first, the Francophonie was managed by an “independent” public interest group, whereas the EMG is 100% managed by agents of the City of Nice; second, the Francophonie was spearheaded by the State, namely France, whereas the city itself has organized the European Masters Games from scratch. This is already an impressive feat for the City of Nice’s Sports Directorate, whose primary mission is not necessarily event management.
With over 3,000 fully registered participants and nearly 2,500 in the process of finalizing their registration (including payment, visa, and medical certificates), the organization is now being put into place to orchestrate everything. All competition venues—located within the city of Nice and accessible by public transportation—are being prepared, tournaments and other events are being organized, the games village is being set up at Place Masséna, and the opening and closing ceremonies are being planned alongside a series of conferences… The list is indeed long and exhaustive, and the EMG “team” spares no effort or time to tackle all their daily tasks.
Among their many missions, recruiting participants and volunteers are the two main focuses. For this, they are doing everything possible, with a presence at all local and national sports events (such as the Ironman, French Masters swimming and athletics championships, etc.) as well as a website, active social media and newsletters. Indeed, the last two months are crucial to convert the approximately 2,000 incomplete files and perhaps reach the symbolic milestone of 5,000 participants, which would place Nice at the forefront of cities hosting the European Masters Games. A first medal while awaiting the upcoming ones?
Additionally, part of the team can be found this weekend at the Tour de France à la Voile village on the Quai des États-Unis, to provide all the information about this international sports competition for athletes over 35 years old (over 25 for swimming and over 28 for triathlon).
