Wednesday, June 29, the fourth day of the Mediterranean Games in Oran, the public is still there and the city vibrates to the rhythm of sport, to the delight of the athletes, happy to have supporters.
From our special correspondent in Oran,
Children, parents, grandparents. Every day since the start of the competition, spectators have been there for the Mediterranean Games in Oran. The platform to access the ticket office was very quickly saturated. During the volleyball match between Algeria and France on Monday June 27, dozens of spectators stayed around the enclosure, hoping to take their place in the stands. Inside, the atmosphere was festive, between the songs of the supporters, the cries of the children, and the dances in the stands.
Sport, an element of sharing and cohesion in Algeria
” There is a strong enthusiasm around these games, and we saw it from the opening ceremony where the tickets were sold out in less than 24 hours. The communication around this event has been done for years, and the effort of the Algerian State concerning sports equipment has been very important. », explains Bernard Amsalem, 2nd vice-president of the international committee of the Mediterranean Games and former president of the French Athletics Federation. He adds : “ Sport in Algeria is a very important element of mobilization, sharing and cohesion. Even badminton, not very popular here, managed to fill up.
Tuesday, June 28, at the tennis club, we were queuing well before the opening hours to see the Algerian play Ines Ibou. Reinforcement was needed for surveillance and people waited patiently before entering and massed calmly around the courts so as not to disrupt play.
A grandfather accompanies his eight-year-old granddaughter, a tennis champion in her category. “ I will follow her until the end and maybe even until Roland-Garros if god grants me life “, he says, taking his cell phone out of his pocket to show us the kid with a cup in her hand. They came especially from Blida, a town near Algiers. ” I took her with me, I want her to realize what the high level is “, he says with a smile on his lips and a hat screwed on his head.
Athlete satisfaction
“ Frankly it is a country with welcoming and smiling people. There are a lot of people at the competitions and it’s really nice “, says the French boxer Djamili Aboudou who fought in a dizzying din.
Taekwondo or wrestling were also popular sports. As for football, with the derby between Algeria and Morocco, no need to draw a picture. The excitement was at its height. And it was a bit of a grimace when two boys, Fennecs jerseys on their backs, commented on the defeat of the Algerians.
A little earlier, near the Sports Palace, a young woman and her two children are looking for the water polo pool located near the zoo, in the public garden swimming pool! Next door, a giant screen broadcasts the boxing and wrestling finals, enough to satisfy those who had not had the opportunity to enter the room.
The Arzew sports hall could not contain the thousands of fans who came to closely follow the Algerian handball players’ first outing against Turkey. Tuesday, June 28, at the end of the third day of competition, Algeria ranked second in the medal table behind Egypt. The Minister of Youth and Sports, Abderrazak Sebgag said to himself ” very proud » of the results obtained so far.
Discover the city
Algeria had not organized a major competition since 1990 and the African Cup of Nations. In Oran, citizens were eager to see their city put in the spotlight. The owner of a small grocery store near the tennis club did not expect to be overwhelmed in this way. ” I’m surprised but happy to meet faces other than those in my neighborhood she smiles. ” It gives me more work, but it’s for a good cause. Be here at home! An old gentleman serves cold drinks at the counter.
” Oran is a very beautiful city that has changed a lot. It will take advantage of these new infrastructures says a taxi driver born in the city. Stuck in traffic jams on the road to the seafront, he says he is very satisfied that the city is opening up to foreigners.
And for those who discover the city on the occasion of the Mediterranean Games, nothing is more impressive than climbing to the fort of Santa-Cruz, erected by the Spaniards between 1577 and 1604. This magnificent stone colossus rises to the top of the Aïdour mountain and dominates the entire bay of Oran. The view of the Mediterranean is breathtaking. The Mediterranean Games are already a popular success.