To celebrate the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, “Ariège makes its Games” and offers thirty sporting disciplines accessible to all

On the occasion of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Ariège wanted to strike hard. Next Saturday and Sunday, in Foix, the Departmental Council and the CDOS (Departmental Olympic and Sports Committee), in partnership with the city of Foix, are organizing “Ariège makes its Games”. A real event.

“We felt the big family of Ariège sport mobilizing for this great celebration,” says Raymond Berdou, vice-president of the Departmental Council. “We demonstrated collectively that we were capable of taking up the challenge,” continues Fabien Guichou. “As with the sports caravan, we have already done a lot. And we will continue. We have been in our place, as solid as possible. Olympic Games are universal and do not belong to those who can pay.”

Fabien Guichou refers to the €180,000 that the Department did not want to pay for the passage of the Olympic flame. Next weekend, for the first time, in the same place, more than 30 disciplines will be represented. “Our desire was to bring everyone together,” explains Cyril Balondrade, development agent at CDOS. “The idea is to keep this Olympic dimension even if non-Olympic sports will also be represented.” “It’s about promoting the richness and diversity of sporting activity in Ariège, labeled “Terre de Jeux”.”

Almost all the departmental committees responded to the call and played the… Game of this great celebration. Handball, fencing, rugby, athletics, basketball, boxing, pétanque, table tennis, canoeing, Basque pelota, padel, tennis, volleyball, French boxing, badminton, weightlifting, football, modern pentathlon, shooting, BMX, equestrian aerobatics, golf, archery, skateboarding, gymnastics, hiking (1), judo, karate, skateboarding, track cycling, there will be something for all tastes and for all levels.

Collective tug-of-war and sack race challenges

From 5 years old, everyone can come and try their luck and have fun. The principle is simple. As soon as they arrive on site, participants will be able to collect a points sheet from the two reception stands (see map). This nominative support will then be punched by the sports facilitators of each discipline according to the number of points obtained in each workshop. And don’t panic, you don’t have to be an Olympic champion to participate.

“All the workshops were organized in the form of small challenges. Individual and collective. You can come and compete with friends, between work colleagues, between neighbors…” In certain workshops, participants will even be able to compete against good-level athletes like, for example, the disabled table tennis player Clément Latorre (French champion). A workshop dedicated to disabled sports for people with disabilities will also be offered. Each discipline had the choice to set up its own little challenges.

And to make things worse, Saturday and Sunday, at 3:30 p.m., the CDOS wanted to give a little nod to the traditional and ancestral disciplines of the Olympic Games by organizing collective tug-of-war and sack race challenges. Beyond the weather, the atmosphere promises to be warm.
Those who have accumulated the most points will be able to climb onto the podium during the awards ceremony in the presence of Antoine Puydebois, recent junior European mountain running champion, Clément Latorre or Claude Piquemal, double Olympic medalist at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968).

Volunteers and athletes are ready to celebrate the Olympic Games with you. In addition, the weather promises to be mild.