But what were PE teachers from all over the world doing in the Toulon metropolitan area?

Sports teachers from around the world gathered in the Toulon area. This is the challenge that the organizers ⁽¹⁾ of the very first edition of the World Teacher Games have just succeeded in, this May 2025.

Since the beginning of the week, more than 300 professionals from all over the world have been wandering around Toulon and its surrounding towns, such as Bormes and Le Pradet.

This Friday, for example, the gathering took place on Mérou beach in Hyères, around a "land and sea duathlon" event (300m swimming and 5km trail running per participant, in relay format).

Judging by the attire of some of the teams, adorned in their national colors, one might have thought it was a real Olympic gathering. This was obviously not the case. Here, the competition was primarily for fun.

"It's quite incredible to share this experience and these joyful moments with teachers from such diverse backgrounds ," confided Enerson, who came straight from Vila Velha, in the southeast of Brazil. "We are confronted with different realities, and this diversity is an opportunity to enrich ourselves with new ways of learning."

27 nationalities present

Diversity is the key word for this unprecedented Var week, where 55 teams and 27 countries are represented. From the United States to India, including Croatia, Slovenia, Nepal, Ukraine, and Angola, flags of all colors paraded through the towns of the metropolitan area and the Var region.

"The issue of school sports is very international. It's therefore a great pleasure to be able to meet people who work differently ," assured Jean-Michel, who made the trip from Martinique. "For me, it's a win-win situation, because despite the language barrier, we manage. There are always interesting things to learn from others!"

“Building relationships between teachers around the world”

In addition to the various sporting events (beach rugby, volleyball, air badminton, swimming, etc.), workshops and other opportunities for sharing have been organized in recent days.

This Saturday, May 10, to close the event, a major conference is being held at the Palais Neptune in Toulon, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the presence of the European Commissioner for Youth and Sport and several international organizations.

"The purpose of this event is really to celebrate physical education and sport (PE) as a crucial subject in the educational journey and health of young people, in which teachers therefore play a leading role ," explains Romain Fermon, Director General of the World Teacher Games. "The aim could be to create relationships between teachers all over the world, and perhaps even twinning."

These links will have taken root in the Toulon region, the forever home of these very first Games... and a potential candidate for a new edition. "Everyone has been welcoming to us here. We've found a new family ," concludes the Indian Gaurav. "We'll be back!"

1. The event was supported by the European Commission, UNESCO, the Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Sports, among others, and was organized in partnership with local authorities.