Montpellier sports associations are finding their feet after the reopening of the Palais des Sports Pierre-de-Coubertin

The quality of the parquet flooring is highlighted by all. Midi Libre – LF

Built in the early 1990s, the sports arena located in the Hauts-de-Massane district of Montpellier has been renovated.

The Pierre-de-Coubertin Sports Hall is once again shining brightly. After more than a year and a half of work and €6 million invested by the city of Montpellier, the sports facility in the Hauts-de-Massane district is finally ready to start its second life.

Since the beginning of the week, the resident sports associations have taken advantage of the opportunity to organize their return to school. Like Ahmed Gueddari who was able to reinstall his punching bags and his ring in the Jacques-Brel hall where his club, Mosson Full-Contact, will return to normal life.

Baki : "De l’envie et de l’enthusiasm"

This is also the case for Montpellier Basket Mosson, which is getting back into the swing of things in the stadium built in the early 1990s under the mandate of the mayor at the time, Georges Frêche. “We thank the city for having renovated it so well, it's a very nice facility. It will give people desire, enthusiasm, rejoices Khaled Baki, president of Montpellier Basket Mosson, who organized a reception for partners on Tuesday evening around a friendly match of his flagship team. It's up to us to perform now on and around the court. With this 2,000-seat venue, it would be a shame not to move up a gear in terms of sport.”

In addition to the training sessions and matches of the Mosson basketball club, which plays in the men's National 2, the Montpellier Futsal matches in the first national division could fill the stands and bring back to life at the Palais des Sports the atmosphere of those great moments: “The tool is exceptional and functional,” notes Ali Arab, the president of Montpellier Méditerranée Futsal. It allows us to bring people in, show great quality play and entertainment, but also to set up spaces for partners. In addition, returning to the Mosson district is significant. It needs a dynamic that can be carried by the MMF."

Sierra : "A parquet to develop the beautiful game"

The work on the Pierre-de-Coubertin Sports Palace was also intended to make it compliant for disabled athletes. This now benefits two Montpellier clubs, the wheelchair basketball club and the wheelchair rugby club: “We are very happy with the quality of the floor, we can do things we didn't do before,” says David Sierra, manager of the Montpellier Handi Basket Association (MHBA). This will allow us to develop a beautiful game and welcome new recruits. Everything has been designed for disabled sports, everything is wide enough to pass in a wheelchair. We have a dedicated room to store our wheelchairs. It's really great.”

All these great people are therefore delighted to find the brand new Palais des Sports. It is now a question of reaching an agreement on the long term, which will not be an easy task. “For the moment, it is going very well,” explains Khaled Baki. A four-way split is a bit difficult for ambitious clubs, particularly when it comes to sharing slots.”

And Hamza Aarab, a prominent member of the futsal club, concludes: “Let's not lie to ourselves, we would have preferred to be alone or in pairs… It always poses the problem of organization. For example, we are obliged to train in the morning at 8:30 a.m. We would have liked it to be later. In any case, the clubs will have to agree to make daily life easier.”

I subscribe to read the rest