The international indoor tournament does not know the crisis. Before the 24th edition (January 21-23), the point with Philippe Michelutti and Olivier Grillat, president and manager of the Arc club of Nîmes.
In what state of mind are you two weeks before the 24th edition of the tournament?
Disappointed and sad because of this epidemic which complicates our existence. But glad we can do it. Last year, already, we had maintained it against all odds with only one hundred shooters from thirteen countries, the worst participation ever recorded since we had 300 shooters for the first edition.
Why was it so important for you to maintain it?
It was good for everyone to do something. We only had about forty volunteers instead of the usual hundred. But in the end, everyone cried with emotion. The context was special. We disinfect everything every hour. It was delirium.
We wanted to prove that we could do something and broadcast archery images. We had nevertheless had high-level archers and the broadcasting of the finals had also worked well. Even if, economically, this edition was a disaster, we have reinforced the image of Nîmes by maintaining it. We are even more established than before.
Last year, we were the only stage of the Indoor world series. All other archery competitions have been canceled, even the one in Las Vegas. Besides that, in Nîmes, we are the small village of diehards who resist everything.
Given the health context, have you ever considered giving up this year?
No, that never crossed our minds. We are probably a little stubborn or passionate, it depends. We hoped to live it normally but we will do with the situation.
You met the services of the prefecture on Wednesday. What constraints do you have to deal with?
We will have to manage the constraints in force. That is to say the pass for all. We even anticipated by asking for the vaccination pass. There will also be the wearing of a mask inside the sites that are the Estanque for training, the exhibition center for the qualifying shots and the Parnasse for the finals.
However, we will not be able to welcome the public. For Sunday’s finals at Parnasse, we will only have one stand. Putting 2,000 people against each other is out of the question. We don’t want anyone going home sick on Sunday night.
On the shooting range, archers will be able to shoot without a mask. Anyway, archery is a sport of distancing.
Allow people from the club, volunteers such as archers, to rub shoulders with the best in the discipline for a weekend
What are the implications for the number of participants?
We will still have more than 700 who will represent 26 countries. At the beginning of November, when we launched the registrations, we were on track to go beyond the thousand. And then the resumption of the epidemic forced the Asians to give up. The South Koreans have a quarantine of ten days when they return, that can be understood.
The South Americans won’t be there either. And those of the North will be only eleven. We are going to meet almost only between Europeans with the exception of the Russians who can only leave the country for compelling reasons and sport is not one of them.
It’s a shame because between the Russians and the Koreans, it deprives us of the presence of a few Olympic medalists.
Do reduced formulas pose a threat to the sustainability of your event?
On a local level, it necessarily endangers everything that we have built for more than twenty years at the partnership level. But we will get there. We have made savings everywhere and we have benefited from the unfailing support of the City since the beginning.
When we see that we have 700 shooters despite the resumption of the epidemic, that we had left to break the house if she had left us alone, this proves that we are settled in the landscape. The proof, at the opening of registrations, everyone wanted to come back.
When you look back, what are you most proud of?
It’s to allow people from the club, volunteers and archers alike, to rub shoulders with the best in the discipline for a weekend. All that we have been able to do and that we continue to do is thanks to the city, to the successive municipalities. And giving back to her what she gives us by setting up such an event which has a very strong economic impact, is also a source of pride.
The competition in numbers
24 : If the tournament has existed since 1997, it will be the 24th edition. It had not taken place in 2003 and 2014. And for good reason, in those years, the Arc club of Nîmes had skipped because it had organized the indoor world championships.
3 : The competition is spread over three days. Friday January 21, from 2 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., qualifications; Saturday January 22, from 7:45 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., qualifications, all-category elimination rounds, finals and podium in under 15s and masters; Sunday January 23, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., under-21 final; from 1:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., final. To see on the Youtube and Facebook accounts and page of world archery, the French archery federation and on sportenfrance.com.
711 : This is precisely the number of archers registered on January 7 in the two events (recurve bow and compound bow), coming from 26 countries.
3 000 : This is the estimate of overnight stays in hotels in the city for this 2022 edition. This is more than double in normal times.
