The closing of the 2014 summer tour of the Sports Caravan took place on August 29 in Nice. For the 13th consecutive year, the Departmental Olympic and Sports Committee of the Alpes-Maritimes (CDOS 06) organized this sporting event in partnership with the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes and the Departmental Directorate of Social Cohesion. Antoine Manassero is the official responsible for the Sports Caravan.
From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., children could participate for free in various sports workshops on the Quai des États-Unis in Nice. Each stand had its own theme: Full Contact, table tennis, basketball, volleyball, tennis, cycling… 250 to 300 children cheerfully participated in these activities. At the end of the day, a CDOS t-shirt was given to the children. Finally, a raffle was organized to try to win various prizes, including the OGC Nice jersey, signed by all the players.
“Through the Sports Caravan, we want to convey values to the children while inspiring them to engage in sports. It is about defending the values of Olympism and respect by involving the young in these activities,” explains Philippe Manassero, President of the CDOS. “This year, we increased from 17 to 27 summer stages. We visited several small villages with the aim of universalizing sports,” adds Philippe Manassero.
On this occasion, a number of world champions came to participate in the event: Jérôme Ardissone, world champion of Full Contact, Patrice Barattero, former European champion of Para Snowboard, Gauthier Lloris, professional player at OGC Nice, Sonia Fuzia, former European champion of Karate Kata, Valérie Nicolas, former world champion of Handball, Kelian Bailet, three-time French champion of Trampoline, and Déborah Ortshitt, Alexandra Lazic, Sanja Bursac, Nneka Onyejekwe volleyball champions along with their coach Mathieu Buravant.
“I have been participating in the Sports Caravan for the fifth year. The goal is to showcase this discipline not very well known as a sport, but rather as a leisure activity. I am delighted to come and share my love for the sport,” says Kelian Bailet.
“All these champions present a good image to the youth. They are bearers of hope since they too started one day. Thus, they embody the effort and the ambition to surpass oneself. They come to share their passion with these children aged 4 to 15 and introduce them to the concept of respect. The younger they are, the more interesting it is to introduce them,” declares the president of the CDOS.
Tom, 7 years old, exclaims: “I really like being here, I love all the workshops. What I love the most is judo, which I always practice with my dad.”
Franceska Ricci, 10 years old, adds: “I come here every year. I participate in all the workshops, but what I like the most is Full Contact.”
“It’s a very nice event, a shame there isn’t one in Italy,” regrets Franceska’s father.
Still within the framework of introducing respect, the CDOS launched the “Red Card to Violence” campaign. A fair play charter is then signed by each child.
“We work in association with the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes (CG). We carry out preventive actions against violence and try to find out if children are victims of violence so that the CG can identify and help them. Beyond prevention, we try to make children responsible by having them sign this charter. We raise their awareness of the issues of violence,” explains Elodie Cratère, in charge of the Red Card to Violence campaign, created in 2011.
Eric Ciotti, President of the General Council, highlighted the effort of the Sports Caravan: “It’s an opportunity for me to thank the energy put into this sports organization, which carries values synonymous with surpassing oneself, effort, and respect for the opponent.”
