Sport
The high level of achievement in Alsace
With professional and semi-professional teams at the highest level, Alsace is present on all sports fronts: basketball, handball, football, ice hockey, volleyball, badminton, etc. A fair number of these clubs and their respective training centres are supported by the Region.
Our region is also often behind the incubation of talents from these same regional training centres, who then go on to continue their apprenticeship in other regions. The goalkeeper, Thierry Omeyer, who plays handball, is a good example of this. Designated the best goalkeeper in the European Championships in 2006, Thierry Omeyer was trained in Sélestat. Arsène Wenger, the emblematic coach at Arsenal Football Club, is also a native of Alsace.
Numerous sportsmen and women successfully bear our colours throughout the world: Sébastien Loeb, three-time world rally champion, Mehdi Baala, two-time European 1500 m champion, Paul-Henri Mathieu, member of the French tennis team, and Julien Pillet, sabre team Olympic and world champion. For ten years or so, the work put into training has been paying off and numerous sportsmen and women reach the highest level. The French swimming centre in Mulhouse, with Rostoucher, Leveaux and Mongel, is a good example. Here again, the Region's involvement concentrates on young hopefuls to enable them to reach the highest level. A hundred sportsmen and women are sponsored each year.
This high level support also involves financial help in organising national and international sporting events.
Adequate sport facilities
In order to give all sports practitioners, whether high level or hobbyists, access to quality facilities, Region Alsace encourages the construction of infrastructures of a regional nature, whether specialised or per area. This work provides a structure through various development schemes which meet the needs of the leagues and the sports movement.
Training, the spearhead
The existence of high level sports clubs and sportsmen and women is the result of competent, high quality coaching. This is one of the objectives of the contracts agreed between Region Alsace and the sports leagues. This also makes it possible to diversify clubs' activities and attract new people by offering a more professional introduction to the sport.
last update : 11.12.2008