At the Nîmes international archery tournament, passion soars a few months before the Paris 2024 Olympics

Au parc des expositions, l'un des trois lieux du tournoi international nîmois de tir à l'arc en salle. Y. B.

One of the stages of the world indoor archery circuit welcomes more than 1,100 participants to Nîmes on the sites of Parnasse, the exhibition center and Estanque. A real success which allows Nîmes to be talked about all over the world.

A little more than six months before the Paris Olympic Games (July 26-August 11), the international indoor archery tournament in Nîmes takes place this Saturday, January 20 and again& ;nbsp;Sunday another dimension. "We are as passionate as ever, but here, it's true, we feel a little more of this passion among the hundred or so volunteers because we have three athletes from our club at the gates of the Games" , note, Olivier Grillat, manager of the Arc club of Nîmes and organizing figure of this competition. 

He notes an increase in the number of licensees before these Olympics and intends to register other memberships after the recurve performances of the best French people. The Nîmes club is ready to welcome delegations, after the last qualifications in June, once the shooting range at the Assomption stadium has been renovated.

Nîmes, a magnificent showcase of archery

At Parnassus, amid the comings and goings of archers from all over the world, the Nîmes leader recalls the economic weight, in the heart of winter, a period deserted by tourists, of the tournament which celebrates its 26th edition: "We recorded 8,000 overnight stays and more than 1,100 participants, including 35 qualified for the Paris Olympics, not counting the staff and exhibitors." 

Jean-Michel Cléroy, president of the French Archery Federation, alongside Olivier Grillat, director of the Nîmes Arc club. Y.B.

Present at the international tournament, Jean-Michel Cléroy, president of the French Archery Federation, is full of praise for this Nîmes stage of the world circuit, one of the two more important with that of Las Vegas at the beginning of February: Nîmes offers us a magnificent showcase of archery. There is real know-how here. I remember the 2003 World Championships in the indoor arenas."

Amateurs and champions

The volunteers, for their part, underline the serenity with which they approach the organization of this tournament spread over the sites of Parnasse, the exhibition center and Estanque. This is felt even in the stands set up at the exhibition center where, while archers try to shine with the compound bow, others shop with specialists.

At the exhibition center, stands allow archers to shop! Y.B.

This Nîmes-style tournament, amateur archers don't miss a beat because they can shoot alongside stars of the discipline like the Brazilian Almeida. Matthieu, Anthony and Guillaume, trio from Limoges Couzeix Arc Club, experienced this moment for the first time: "Before shooting, there was a little tremor because there is a different atmosphere than during our regional tournaments . There, I had champions next to me, nice, tall guys, who, calmly, hit the mark!", confides Matthieu. For Anthony, "It's a rare competition during which I even achieved my best score of the year!"

The trio, like the champions on their way to the Olympics, will be back on the shooting range this Sunday, January 21 to show that passion is skyrocketing before the Paris meeting.< /p>

Make archery even more popular

Olivier Grillat, within the Arc club of Nîmes, is working to make his discipline even more popular. This is why he recalls that the videos on the Nîmes shooting tournament the arc have recorded more than three million views on Facebook. Shooting à The arc has also entered nine primary schools in Nîmes to attract new followers.

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