European Veterans Fencing Championship: Behind the Scenes Work by Hundred Volunteers to Ensure Smooth Success – Millaire Gymnasium, Thionville

Another competition is played around the Milliaire multisports complex and the European veterans fencing championship organized until Sunday in Thionville. Around a hundred volunteers work behind the scenes to welcome the 1,550 competitors. They don’t count the hits or the points but the smiles on the faces of the participants. Frédéric Chovet, treasurer of the Fencing three borders organizing club, is one of the four drivers who provide the shuttle to the station or the airport, “from 6 am to midnight”, he slips, looking happy. From Great Britain to Israel, via Turkey and Ukraine, around thirty nationalities are present. “The other night, I ran into two ladies with a fencing bag waiting at the bus stop. They were arriving from Hungary, they had come by train via Austria, they were looking for their hotel”, says Frédéric.

Technical control

A sports village has been set up around the gymnasium to provide a warm welcome for competitors, teams and the general public. Food-trucks, local wine and beer producers provide the service. A whole outside hangar is reserved for the technical control of uniforms and equipment, supervised by the armourer of the French team. Jackets, gloves, masks, weapons are scrutinized closely. “They must resist attacks, present the right pressure, the right length…”, illustrates Frédéric Chovet. And if the equipment does not comply with the regulations in force, workshops and sales stands provide any adjustments necessary for entering the competition. The Milestone complex has been transformed and modernized for the occasion. The municipality has invested to support the event.

Screens big and small

During these five days of championship, the dojo, the parts usually reserved for climbing and table tennis are occupied by a row of fencing tracks marked out by the referees. The participants are equipped with an accreditation and a QR code which allows them to follow the meetings and the results live. Everything is centralized in a computerized room, connected on site. Every day, at the end of the afternoon, a podium is erected and the hymns resound.

Beyond connections, reception, transport, catering, a volunteer medical team is mobilized on site. Competitors range in age from 40 to nearly 90 years old. The tables are broken down by sex, by age category, by weapon (foil saber, epee). So many combinations that promise a series of assaults. This weekend, the most ambitious are aiming for a European title. The curious are invited to encourage them. FREE ENTRANCE.