Essonne: the Nikola Karabatik gymnasium in Mennecy amazes

On October 5, the community of communes of Val d'Essonne inaugurated a new intercommunal gymnasium.

Nikola Karabatik brought stars to the eyes of young local handball players. The player took the time to play with them on the team sports field, located on the first floor of the gymnasium named after Nikola Karabatik.

« It's a huge honor to be able to train and play in this magnificent gymnasium that bears your name, comments the Mennecy Val d'Essonne Handball club on the champion's Instagram account. You have been making children and adults dream for so many years. »
The community of communes of Val d'Essonne (CCVE) invested in this new gymnasium to respond to the increase in the number of members in associations in Mennecy and the surrounding area. “ The number of licensees in Mennecy is 24% higher than the French average, underlines Patrick Imbert, president of the CCVE. We want to provide adapted infrastructure in the face of pressing demand. » « Mennecy takes charge of centrality in Val d'Essonne with 70% of those registered outside Mennecy, this is what we call solidarityadds Jean-Philippe Dugoin-Clément, mayor of Mennecy and vice-president of the Ile-de-France region. It's not the biggest, but it's the most in Essonne ».

The French handball icon confirms and confides in the honor of having a sports complex in his name takes him back to his beginnings as an amateur athlete: “ These are the gyms that allowed me to grow and persevere in sport, they are common threads in my life, I stopped playing this summer, but now I go see my children in training and I support from the stands. I would have dreamed of having such a beautiful gymnasium! ».

With a total cost of 8.5 million euros, including 1.7 million in public subsidies, this ultra-modern gymnasium covers 2,200 m² and includes several spaces invested by nearly twenty associations: the equipped changing rooms sanitary facilities for players and referees, a multi-sports hall with stands, a dance area with a large mirror, an area for combat sports with a boxing ring, as well as an open-air pump track for fans of mountain biking, BMX, rollerblading and skateboarding. The equipment benefited from three significant subsidies: 1.3 million euros from Ile-de-France as part of the Regional Development Contract, 330,000 euros via the investment support grant local government and 86,000 euros from the new Plan “5,000 pieces of equipment – ​​Generation 2024” from the National Sports Agency.