The Vaucluse Land of Games
President Dominique Santoni and Christelle Jablonski-Castanier, Vice-President in charge of Sport, Colleges and Associative Life, with Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (OCOG).
The Vaucluse, “Land of games 2024”
This dynamic owes nothing to chance. From January 2020, under the force of Dominique Santoni, the then Vice-President in charge of Sports, the Department obtained the official label “Terre de jeux 2024” during a signature carried out in the presence of Tony Estanguet, President of the organization of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games (OCOG).
An important first step since this label made it possible to apply for the Sarrians BMX Race track as a Games Preparation Center, but also to bring Vaucluse to the rhythm of the Olympic Games, through various events. “I am convinced of the unifying, unifying power of sport. I am proud that Vaucluse was one of the first departments to be named Terre de Jeux,” said President Dominique Santoni.
“Being the Land of Games in 2020, the Department has proven that it shares the enthusiasm of the Olympic Games, the biggest sporting event in the world. We want to mobilize the whole of Vaucluse, starting with our college students and the sports movement, around the values of Olympism above all and fraternity,” added Christelle Jablonski-Castanier, Vice-President of the Department in charge of Sports, Colleges and Associative Life.
Three Games Preparation Center in Vaucluse
619 sports venues have been designated by the Paris 2024 OCOG to host international delegations. Vaucluse has three: Sarrians, Avignon and Monteux.
Thanks to the Department, the Sarrians preparation center benefits from a high level of equipment, particularly an 8-meter starting hill.
• Sarrians: a brand carried by the Department
Thanks to the support of the Department, the Sarrians BMX track has been equipped with an impressive starting hill, eight meters high. It complements the old five-meter mound and thus meets the latest Olympic standards. Therefore it is logically approved by the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale). Enough to satisfy the (very) high level of competitors who, at the end of the descent, can reach a maximum speed of 80 km/h. This mound has an electric starting grid and a non-slip floor covering.
Since the official announcement by the Paris 2024 OCOG of the “Games Preparation Center” label, Vaucluse has become an important place for the elite of BMX practitioners, French and foreign. An investment supported by the Department through an extraordinary grant of €45,000 awarded to the BMX club of Sarrians to realize this project that will remain a legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
• Two other high-level centers: Avignon and Monteux
Second labeled site, Halle Génicoud, in Avignon, for artistic gymnastics. The Olympic Committee bases its assessment on the technical quality of the sports infrastructure, its level of equipment, its surface area, proximity and quality of access and medical services, but also on the city’s attractiveness or quality of accommodation offered.
As for the third center chosen, it is the Halle des Sports de Monteux, chosen as the venue for weightlifting.
The Olympic flame in Vaucluse: a world showcase
Welcoming the Olympic flame in Vaucluse is a unique opportunity to share this historic moment with the residents of Vaucluse. An event that the Department is preparing for the next two years with all the players in the world of sports in Vaucluse.
All will be mobilized beyond sports clubs and volunteers, students and particularly middle school students, people with disabilities and their guardians, businesses and tourist structures, the world of culture and heritage, associations, etc… Torch bearers and places of passage will be chosen in Vaucluse and festivities will be many on the day of the fire crossing.
The Vaucluse in the spotlight of the “Terre de jeux” forum.
Vaucluse took part, on December 13 in Montpellier, in the national forum “Terre de Jeux”. The opportunity for President Dominique Santoni and Christelle Jablonski-Castanier, Vice-President in charge of Sport, Colleges and Associative Life to reaffirm the Department’s commitment to the promotion of sport and the Paris-2024 Olympics. Organized every year, this forum brings together more than 300 communities, who share their experiences while presenting themselves in the highlights of the year 2023.
