Athletes present at the Paris Olympics honored by the Department

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THE Department of Hérault wanted to extend the magic of the 2024 Olympic Games a little by inviting this Monday, September 16 Hérault sportsmen (licensed in the department or natives of the latter) present in Paris during the Olympic fortnight.

Thus, the Lebrun brothers, the swimmers David Aubry, Océane Cassignol and Anastasiia Kirpichnikova, the shooter Clément Bessaguet, the athletes Kévin Mayer and Renelle Lamote, the riders Laury Perez and Anthony Jeanjean, the MHB handball players, the golden volleyball player Nicolas Le Goff and the BLMA basketball players Romane Berniès and Mariem Badiane were thus honored at the Mas d’Alco, headquarters of the Departmental Council.

Even though few of them were able to free themselves to be present, the directors and other sports officials of the department made the trip to pay tribute to the very good sporting dynamic of Hérault.

At the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, 28 athletes from the department were selected (including 8 at the Paralympic Games) and many of them returned from the capital with medals.

The Department, a key player in sport

Kléber Mesquida, President of the Departmental Council, was keen to highlight his community’s committed policy to support “equal access to sports for all”, particularly through the 14,000 sports coupons distributed to sixth-grade students each year, or through the actions of Hérault Sport, present in both working-class neighborhoods and more rural areas, in order to leave no one on the sidelines.

Even though the Department is not responsible for sports, it still commits 24 million euros annually to promote sports practice, through its social missions and educational prerogatives. This budget includes the significant investments made to build the 48 “sports halls” that cover the territory. These facilities, built for middle school students to practice sports, are also made available to town halls for sports associations, outside of school hours.

A major player in sports practice in Hérault, the departmental community took the opportunity to duly honour the entire Hérault sports community, which represents 240,000 members and 2,665 clubs; a sector in great shape in the department.

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