“I went to the La Paillade mosque to find out”: when Patrice Canayer had to manage Ramadan in the MHB locker room

Patrice Canayer a évoqué sa gestion du ramadan. Midi Libre – SYLVIE CAMBON

Les conséquences du ramadan sautent aux yeux. Lors du récent Tournoi des continents, organisé à la Sud de France Arena, les handballeurs égyptiens n’ont tenu qu’une mi-temps en finale face aux Français. Faute de pouvoir se désaltérer notamment.

From the stands, MHB coach Patrice Canayer noticed, like everyone else, the drop in momentum. At Montpellier Handball where he has worked for thirty years, the technician has often had to adapt too. "I happened to have four players (Tunisians) in the squad who were practicing Ramadan. To understand and better manage the situation, I went to the La Paillade mosque to find out."

Compensation

According to the imams met by Patrice Canayer, breaking the fast was, it seems, possible. "Religion allowed it in important work, and sport was considered important. A compensation system was then put in place."
This departure from religious doctrine did not only apply on match days. "But also when traveling", explains the MHB coach.

In thirty years, he has also noted a strong trend among players with "more rigorous practice. We saw this with the Egyptians recently."