At the Associations Forum, Sète sports clubs stand out from the Games

La table de “ping” proposée par l’ASPTT a été prise d’assaut. Midi Libre – VICTOR GUILLOTEAU

La vague olympique atteint Sète. Exemples au rugby, tennis de table, volley et escrime.

Playground atmosphere, this Sunday, at the Forum of Associations of Sète. Kids crossing swords at the fencing stand. A handful of volleyball players try their hand at free throws under the basketball hoop. Balls fly in table tennis. While the rowers burn calories on the Sète rowing side…

A large place was given to sports, among the 200 associations that responded to the biannual call launched by the City of Sète. What could be more normal in this post-Olympic period, and while French sport still does not seem to come down from its little cloud…? This Sunday, the Sète sports clubs were not mistaken. They were there to take advantage of the good French results at the Paris Olympics.

A huge crowd turned out for the Forum at Les Salins. Midi Libre – VICTOR GUILLOTEAU

"Madness !" in table tennis, which will double its licensees

On the stand of the Rugby Club of Sète, we are well aware that the performance of the French rugby sevens team, Olympic gold medallist, increases tenfold the interest in the oval ball. “It's a great advertisement, rejoices the president David Guerin. Sevens remain a practice to be developed for us, very physical and complementary to rugby union. We are talking about it within the club, the idea is on the table." One thing is certain: "We can already feel the post-Olympic enthusiasm", continues the president, displaying the firm intention to increase, from the start of this season, the figure of 250 licensees reached last year.

At RC Sète, the youngest were able to practice oval ball. Midi Libre – VICTOR GUILLOTEAU

A total that ASPTT Table Tennis will not reach. Although. “It's crazy!”, exclaims the club president Stephan Urena, since the performances of the brothers Alexis and Félix Lebrun this summer. “We are extremely solicited, it comes from everywhere: email, phone calls, social networks… Last year we had 85 members. There, we already have 90 registrations, even before the forum. In fact, we risk doubling our licensees."

No Marchand effect for swimming

One would have thought that Séte natation would ride the Léon Marchand wave after the quadruple gold medalist's astronomical Olympics. Not at all. “We were told there would be an effect: nothing at all!”, says Guillaume Perea, the president of the Séte club with some 800 members, divided between the racing, artistic swimming, water polo and fitness/leisure sections. The club explains this reserve by the fact that high-level swimming is less accessible. “Swimming, you know, is hours and hours of training, you need a huge dose of motivation…, recalls the club's administrative manager, Nathalie Rouanet.It's less fun than other sports. We're not cut out to welcome performance either. We're more of a training, multi-sport club." So there's little chance that in the short term, a Léon Marchand will emerge from the water…

A godsend as much as a headache for the president and members of the club, who will have to rack their brains to welcome these newcomers. “We're going to have to push the walls!, smiled Stephan Urena. We're going to have to find an organization, reorganize our training slots, knowing that to date we only have 10 tables and one instructor at 20 hours per week…”

The rowing club made the most daring row… Midi Libre – VICTOR GUILLOTEAU

"Push the walls", "increase tenfold", "play 23 h"…

Same atmosphere at Sète Volleyball, which signed Sunday morning "lots of little ones". Overall, since the new Olympic title won by the Blues in Paris, it's been chaos. "We're going to have to increase tenfold, just like our training slots, explain co-presidents Audrey Roman and Éric D’Acunto. We sent a request to the city services. It's complicated to say no to children who want to register. So, we overload the workforce, we switch to 1h30 training instead of 2h, and we sometimes play until 11pm in the evening…" No other choice, when you go from 260 to 300 members at the start of the school year.

Fencing and the "Olympic Games effect"

And if the problem does not take on the same proportions at the Cercle sétois fencing, we expect a good turnout at the resumption day, which will take place this September 18th. “Every four years, we have an Olympic effect”, note the club members, including president Amélie Combes and treasurer Olivier Rosé. It must be said that the discipline also shone in Paris (7 medals, including 3 by team). “We had a lot more calls and approaches via social networks. We are a little overwhelmed!"

The fencing stand also saw a parade of curious young people. Midi Libre – VICTOR GUILLOTEAU

The Cercle Sète, which calls itself a “family club”, relies on a fencing master for its training. It had about twenty members last season. Judging by the enthusiasm of the children when it comes to taking up arms on the stand, this number should not decrease this fall…