the essential
The Ariège departmental disabled sports committee was responsible for organizing the French boccia championships. They will take place from Wednesday January 29 to Sunday February 2, 2025, in Foix, Ferrières room. Crowned during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Aurélie Aubert will be the headliner.
The misfortune of one person makes the happiness of others. Initially designated, the city of Nîmes had to decide to give up organizing the French boccia championships. The French Disabled Sports Federation has therefore returned to Occitanie and Ariège, already candidates in the past. “We were not selected because the Ferrières hall – the Pays de Foix sports hall – was not available. » Lauriane Miquel, federal technical advisor to the Ariège departmental disabled sports committee, has a smile. This time, the Ferrières room is available and Ariège has had the green light to organize this big event. A great first for Occitanie. “For us, after the Paralympic Games in Paris, it’s huge. This is a great opportunity to highlight sport and disability. It couldn’t have come at a better time. » Officials came to visit the facilities a few weeks ago to validate everything. “There are quite important specifications to respect. Accessibility, meals, everything has been scrutinized. »
80 athletes and accompanying persons are expected
More than 80 athletes and their supporters are expected from Wednesday January 29 to Sunday February 2. To accommodate them, the organizers had to scratch their heads to find suitable accommodation in Foix and its sometimes distant surroundings. The athletes and their chaperones will be welcomed on Wednesday January 29, 2025 before starting training on Thursday. The competition will take place on the weekend of February 1st and 2nd.
Little known until then, boccia has won over spectators and television viewers this summer. Boccia originated in ancient Greece and involved throwing stones as close as possible to a target. In Italian, boccia means ball. It is a sport crossing pétanque and Mölkky. There are three handicap categories: BC1 (players who can throw the boules, with an assistant to pick them up if necessary); BC2: players with good throwing control and not requiring an assistant; BC4: players with severe motor handicap(s), without use of a ramp but with reduced throwing skills).
Since the Paris Paralympic Games, Aurélie Aubert has been the standard bearer (see elsewhere). The Ariège departmental committee today has 109 licensees spread across 18 clubs. These French championships will allow him to showcase all his actions. Boccia is already practiced there in a section within the Carla-Bayle nursing home. Two years ago, Ariège even had a regional boccia champion, Laurent Sarda, in its ranks. Ariège has often had qualifiers for the French championships. Unfortunately, among those qualified for these 2025 French championships, there will be no Ariégeois entered.
But the party looks good.
Aurélie Aubert, star of the Olympics
His smile and his spontaneity dazzled the Paris Games. Surprise Paralympic boccia champion in category BC1 (moderate limitation of movement of the arms and shoulders then considerable limitation of the trunk and legs), Aurélie Aubert broke the screen. On September 8, it was she who carried the French flag during the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games and it was she who had the honor of extinguishing the Parisian Olympic flame. The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron then presented him with the Legion of Honor. Today, the 27-year-old from Normandy no longer goes unnoticed, always accompanied by her assistant, Claudine Llop, 66 years old. A notoriety that she has great difficulty taming. “When I’m competing, it’s okay, but when I just want to do my shopping, that’s when it bothers me. I tell myself that over time, people will forget me a little…” she declared a few days ago to our colleagues from Le Parisien. After qualifying like everyone else, she should once again attract all eyes in Ferrières.
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