Due to the lack of passage of the flame, the Lot will have its Olympic games for young people in Cahors

“ We could not pay for the arrival of the Olympic flame in the Lot, the cost of which was staggering between the passage and all the good reception around. But there was no question that the children of Lot would not participate in this great celebration that is Olympic Games » says Serge Rigal, president of the Lot Departmental Council.

The services of the Departmental Council in partnership with the Departmental Olympic and Sports Committee and the UNSS (National School Sports Union) of Lot have therefore decided toorganize an Olympic Games for middle school studentswhich will take place from Monday June 17 to Wednesday June 19, 20024 at the Lucien Desprats stadium in Cahors.

Meetings in Cahors with the codes of the real Olympics

“And we will not be modest” assures the president of the department. With on the program a opening ceremonyof the sports events, jerseys and an anthem for each school, an Olympic village, and a closing ceremony. Each college will carry its colors higher, further, stronger, to encourage the spirit of competition in the tradition of Pierre de Coubertin.

Next to 450 students, coming from the 24 colleges of the department, will participate in this great sports festival. A feat to bring together all these young people at the end of the school year for three days. The Clément Marot high school, the Gambetta college and the Monnerville school campus will provide logistics at midday, while the town of Cahors will lend its sports facilities: Lucien Desprats stadium, Cabessut gymnasium, Pierre Ilbert stadium, and Divonéo swimming pool.

Olympic Village, ceremonies…

The students will be housed in a real Olympic village at Mas de Saboth in Vers, where they will remain in the Olympic atmosphere once the events are over with exhibitions, a quiz on general culture and sport, and a ceremony. medal ceremony every evening.

On Monday at 11:30 a.m., an opening ceremony, with a dance show, flash mob with all establishments, presentation of the Olympic oath and Marseillaise, will bring together the 24 participating teams at Place Bessières in the presence of officials. And of course an Olympic flame will arrive in relay, carried by students from the prefecture for the lighting of a cauldron, symbol of the Olympic cauldron.

24 teams involved

For three days, sporting events will take place for the 24 teams, each made up of 18 students: 9 boys and 9 girls. There will be 5 competitions for the juniors (students aged 6^e and 5^e) with rugby, badminton, pentathlon, athletics and handball, and just as much for the youngest (students of 4^e and 3^e) with basketball, athletics, badminton, laser run (mixture of running and sports shooting) and football. Each event will be mixed. In order to decide between the teams, a team relay of 2024 meters will close the events. For each event, each college will have a referee on its team.

The students who will participate have been selected by each school based on its own criteria, but which are often the result of sporting commitment over the year.

A final trophy, presented during the closing ceremony on Wednesday afternoon at the Lucien Desprats stadium, will reward the best teams in the 5 activities.

In total, the Department of Lot will commit €54,000 for the organization of these junior high school Olympics. “Above all, we want to create memories for children,” rejoices Christophe Proença, vice-president of the Department in charge of sport, “with the hope of being able to repeat this activity in 2028, 2032…”

“The Lot is a very sporting department. As soon as there is a major sporting event, we try to be there. This was the case for the Tour de France, the Rugby World Cup, and now the Olympics” concludes Serge Rigal.

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