With the Jeux de l'Aube, the department is extending the spirit of Paris 2024 to middle school students

The Olympic and Paralympic wave has passed over France, but the sea spray remains. While Los Angeles will take over from Paris for the Summer Games in 2028, in the Aube region, some are determined not to see the flame of the Games in France extinguish too quickly. Thus, between now and 2028, 19 teams, one per participating school, of 10 middle school students – five boys and five girls, supervised by two chaperones – will meet regularly in different locations for sporting contests and cultural events linked to local heritage, for the second edition of the Aube Games .

The first gathering took place this Wednesday, April 30, in Troyes (Aube), in the setting of La Cime (international multi-sport climbing complex). A few months earlier, the Japanese climbing team, preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games , had tackled the treacherous walls of the vast hall.

The aim of the Jeux de l'Aube is to encourage as many middle school students as possible to participate in one or more sports and register with the UNSS (National Union of School Sports). The first edition was completed, despite the disruptions caused by the health crisis, and "was a real success," rejoices Philippe Pichery, president of the departmental council. "As part of the Paris 2024 legacy, we wanted to continue this event with the same partners."

From 16 middle schools during the first edition, the program was expanded to 19 establishments for the Olympiad leading to Los Angeles 2028. This means 190 young people, currently in sixth grade, will be involved in numerous sports for three years. Indeed, each gathering offers a variety of disciplines. For the first, some examples of disabled sports and climbing were on the menu. In addition to climbing to the summits of the Cime, the middle school students tried basketball and wheelchair fencing, biathlon as well as boccia .

Bruno Pellerin, Director of the UNSS at the departmental level, has directly observed the benefits of the Jeux de l'Aube on students: "My daughter was lucky enough to participate in the first edition. She told me it was the best time of her life. For the students, it's an unforgettable experience."

It also allows you to rub shoulders with great champions. Each team is sponsored by a figure from Aube sport, such as former professional footballers Benjamin Nivet and Frédéric Adam, or Bernard Champenois, Paralympic cycling champion in Sydney in 2000. It was Frédéric Adam, also director of the Aube sports center, who came up with the idea for the Aube Games along with Jean-Marc Bussy, the former departmental director of the UNSS.

These Aube Games showcase Olympic values, Philippe Pichery promotes: "We hope that these values ​​of solidarity, friendship, respect, and effort will serve young people in their daily lives." With these Aube Games, the department also aims to open the horizons of middle school students to disciplines they might not have initially considered. "They discover sporting activities they don't have the opportunity to practice. They also practice them in their disabled sports dimension," the elected official explains.

After climbing and disabled sports, it will be rugby for the 190 middle school students of the Jeux de l'Aube. They have a meeting on June 18 with the Aube rugby committee and the department's leading club, RC Saint-André-les-Vergers .

Just like at the late Jacques Martin's "L'École des fans," everyone wins here. "Our unique feature is that we're all about sharing," explains Bruno Pellerin. "There's a ranking, but we don't necessarily emphasize it. We prioritize it based on a positive element, like the most festive team, the most fair-play team... Performance isn't what interests us most." It's up to the participants of the Jeux de l'Aube to spread the word about sport for all to their peers.

In the department, the momentum of Paris 2024 is felt more broadly in school sports and the enthusiasm for UNSS activities. "We had a lot of membership during the first part of the year, and then it slowed down and stabilized," admits Bruno Pellerin. "We saw a difference in certain activities. We were losing momentum in table tennis. This year, 200 students from the department participated in the days related to this discipline." The Lebrun brothers have attracted imitators.

"There's a particular impact in terms of activities. At the UNSS, a member participates in several activities. Some who previously only did one discipline wanted to try others," concludes the departmental director of the UNSS.