what future for the Sportica one year after its devastating fire?

Almost a year after the dramatic fire which affected the Sportica de Gravelines, the future of the sports complex is taking shape. The equipment will be demolished starting in March and then rebuilt, at least in part, on site.

A year ago, almost to the day, December 25, 2023, the residents of Gravelines discovered with horror the fire at the Sportica sports complex.

The local basketball club, the BCM Gravelines-Dunkirkorphaned from his gaming room, therefore had to go to Calais then to the Stade des Flandres in Dunkirk to play his Betclic Élite matches at home.

A year later, time seems to have stopped there: the ruins of the buildings are still in place, the sports equipment retains traces of the fire, the place is surrounded by barriers… We will have to wait until March 2025 so that the situation really evolves.

“We feel that something is missing”

At the beginning of December 2024, a legal expert gave his agreement for the deconstruction, clearance and asbestos removal work to begin at this time.

The construction site is particularly awaited by the inhabitants of Gravelines, who wish to turn the page on this tragic day. This is the case of Patrice, for whom the Sportica represents “36 years” of his life.

“As soon as I pass by, I think about everything that happened. It was a moment of enormous sadness,” he adds at the microphone of BFM Grand Lille.

Patrick and Sylviane, a couple in their seventies, used to go “to the swimming pool” at Sportica with their grandchildren. “We feel that something is missing,” they explain.

Beyond the emotional aspect, the Sportica fire also had an impact on the traders in the shopping mall, adjacent to the sports complex and not affected by the fire. Since sports facilities are no longer accessible, they have seen much less traffic.

“There was aquabike, there was a gym for babies, scuba diving, there were lots of activities with the swimming pool… If we lose that, we lose turnover. Me , I have lost 30% of turnover since the fire”, laments Philippe Bisiaux, a newsagent next to the sports equipment.

A new generation Sportica in 2028?

Once the demolition and asbestos removal operations of the complex are completed, a new generation Sportica will be rebuilt. The first stone should be laid in early 2026.

“It wasn’t just the people of Gravelines who used this equipment,” recalls Bertrand Ringot, mayor of Gravelines. The latter assures that “several hypotheses” are on the table for its reconstruction. In the coming weeks, local elected officials will decide to “put everything back on site” or to relocate “the aquatic complex” to expand it.

“The idea is really that in a horizon of 4-5 years, all this will be well behind us and that we will be able to find all the equipment, all the facilities that we had on this Sportica site”, ambitions Bertrand Ringot.

The Sportica site, “very busy”, also allows the town of Gravelines to consider creating “other activities” on the premises, such as a “food area, a health, other businesses,” explains the mayor.

Delivery of the new Sportica is hoped for “by 2028”.