French Sports Experts Arrive in Dieppe

Sport and Francophonie Mission

The City of Dieppe is proud to announce that it hosted the official launch of the Sport et Francophonie: une combinaison gagnante (sport and francophone: a winning combination) mission this morning in the City Hall lobby.

As part of the mission, Dieppe has the honour of hosting two French judo and volleyball experts until February 15. The delegation consists of:

• Christine Ghys, general secretary of the Confédération Internationale des Unions Sportives Francophones (CIUSF)
• Ludovic Castard, a volleyball expert and former member of the French national team (95 caps)
• Estelle Gaspard, a judo expert and five-time ju-jitsu world champion

The experts will run judo and volleyball training sessions and camps at several Dieppe sports clubs over the next few days. The sessions, led by Denis Collin (judo) and Samuel Nadeau (volleyball), constitute a unique opportunity for the region’s young athletes to benefit from the expertise of recognized figures in both disciplines.

Ahead of the mission, Christine Ghys took part in the Société des Jeux de l’Acadie (SJA) forum on February 8 and 9 to discuss a potential partnership between CIUSF and the SJA, as well as a twinning project between the Espalion commune in France around the themes of sport and La Francophonie.

This initiative was made possible through the support and partnership of the New Brunswick government and CIUSF.

Quotes

“Sport is an important part of any culture. This wonderful event allows some of the province’s best young athletes to compete and learn from two great French sports figures: ju-jitsu world champion Estelle Gaspard and former national volleyball team member Ludovic Castard. Events like this demonstrate the importance of our relationship with France. I hope everyone involved will take advantage of this incredible opportunity.”

The Honourable Robert Gauvin, Minister responsible for La Francophonie

“We are delighted to host this mission and to contribute to the development of sport and the French-speaking world on an international scale. As the largest Acadian city in the world and the largest French-speaking city outside Quebec, we have every reason to be proud of this initiative, which will leave a significant legacy for our youth.”

His Worship Yvon Lapierre, Mayor of the City of Dieppe

“Sport is a universal language, but French is a language that defends sporting values beyond mere individual or collective performance. That’s also why French is one of the official languages of the Olympic Games.”

Bertrand Cahuet, Consul General of France in the Atlantic Provinces

“Faced with today’s global challenges, particularly in terms of sustainable development and multilateral cooperation, the French-speaking sports world is taking steps to assert its influence, values and vision of the world. Alliances between sports unions and federations are being created to ensure the development of sport for all and to strengthen the position of French-speaking countries within international bodies. This is one of the roles that CIUSF has chosen to take on.”

Christine Ghys, CIUSF General Secretary