Who said that the Olympic Games would only take place in Paris? Other cities and regions will host events, but not all of them. Saint-Dizier, in Haute-Marne, is one of the latter.
A medium-sized town (24,000 inhabitants) in a somewhat isolated rural department with a small population (171,000 in 2021), it had little chance of being selected. Except… it should still leave a lasting mark on the Olympics.
This June 28, it welcomes the Olympic flame and, above all, inaugurates its “great loop”. “It’s magnificent, we have the largest active design course in France! That is to say 8 kilometers of sport with free access,” enthuses the young mayor (35 years old) Quentin Brière, before detailing the facilities. “There is a pump track, an obstacle course, sprint tracks with radar, climbing walls, trampolines in the sidewalk… We have also built access to the water, lookouts, fishing spots, etc. . We took the city and put sport everywhere and for everyone! »
“Around thirty” accessible sports
Enough to largely change the urban landscape. Especially since this famous large loop starts from a park and crosses the city. “It completely changed her,” says the elected official without a clear label. “We turned it towards sports practice and health. It also helps fight against a sedentary lifestyle and isolation because we want to get out of the house. I can already see it: it changes people’s lives. For those who practice but also those who watch. »
The councillor and his team estimate that there are “around thirty” sports available in the public space. Running of course, the five linked to the pump track, swimming in the Marne, table tennis and its cousin teqball… But also many team sports because connected lockers with balls inside are accessible. “You can also find mölkky games there,” says Quentin Brière, who has not yet tried the obstacle course. “But I can’t wait!”
The obstacle course validated by the military
Please note, the equipment was piloted by the military neighbors of the air base (BA113). “We added obstacles, modified the run-up races, it had to be adapted to the population,” explains Warrant Officer Thomas, head of the base’s sports department. The result seems to be up to par. “It looks great, it’s great with these wooden structures,” he adds, convinced that this obstacle course will appeal. “It’s in the spirit of the times, we see it with Mud Day and all these events. »
Attention fans, it is a circuit of “19 obstacles over 200 meters round trip” that awaits you. Where you will have to climb the rope and the net, slalom, crawl, pass the assault wall, the tilting board or even the horizontal ladders… “It combines endurance, agility, resistance, mobility and strength”, summarizes the soldier, not a little proud to see that the army’s mottos have been printed on different panels. Like “faster, higher, stronger” or “dare and act”.
In total, this large loop will have cost “1.4 million euros financed by the city, the region, the department and the organizing committee of the Games (COJOP)”, lists Quentin Brière, who definitely did not expect to that. “I didn’t imagine seeing that here… It’s really great to be part of the Olympic dynamic. »
