Weight training rooms, balneotherapy, space simulating 3,000 meters of altitude, cryotherapy cabin… a new CREPS building was the subject of rave reviews during its inauguration, this Wednesday, October 18, in Dijon.
“Red carpet for athletes!” The president of the Burgundy-Franche-Comté Region Marie-Guite Dufay was particularly enthusiastic as she inaugurated the first phase of the CREPS modernization work, this Wednesday, October 18, 2023, in Dijon.
This project represents an investment of 13.5 million euros shared between the State, the National Sports Agency and the Region.
The Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Center for Resources, Expertise and Sports Performance now has a new building to support the preparation of high-level athletes, representing a budget of 7.3 million euros alone.
A large delegation of elected officials, entrepreneurs and athletes
More than 150 people participated in this inauguration which took place in the presence of Marie-Guite Dufay (PS), president of the regional council of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, and Franck Robine, prefect of the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region. , Nathalie Albert-Moretti, rector of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté academic region, Pierre N’Gahane, rector of the Dijon academy, Bâbak Amir-Tahmasseb, director of the international relations unit of the Grand INSEP network, Chrystel Marcantognini, president of the Regional Olympic and Sports Committee, Catherine Lepetz, president of CREPS, Cathrin Trebeljahr, architect, and Pascal Bonnetain, director of CREPS, who led the visit.
Among those elected, were notably present, Michel Neugnot (PS), first vice-president of the regional council of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, Willy Bourgeois (PS), vice-president in charge of sport and president of the Regional Sports Conference, Laëtitia Martinez (PS), vice-president of the Region in charge of research, Océane Godard (PS), vice-president in charge of training provision, François-Xavier Dugourd (LR, NE), vice-president of the departmental council of Côte-d’Or, Antoine Hoareau (PS), vice-president of Dijon Métropole, Pierre Pribetich (PS), president of SPLAAD, and Claire Tomaselli (PS), deputy mayor of Dijon responsible for sports and Olympism.
Also participating were former athletes such as football referee Michel Vautrot and active athletes including the cyclist Jérémy Cabot, the Olympic wrestling champion Steeve Guénot, the parabrass swimmer Hector Denayer, the French archery champion arc Léa-Lynn Gregorio, the kayak downhill world champion Quentin Bonnetain as well as young sports residents of CREPS.
CREPS trains sports professionals
As explained by the Region, CREPS is a local public training establishment in the fields of sport, youth and popular education, whose governance is shared between the Ministry of Sports and the Region.
Over the years the structure has specialized in high-level sport as well as digital technology. It also offers training in sports professions.
The Burgundy-Franche-Comté Regional House of Sports Performance has set up its headquarters in the CREPS premises.
Modernization work initiated in 2017
The first phase of the CREPS modernization work includes the construction of the Athletic Performance and Preparation Center (C2PA) of 1,345 m2 on two levels, the creation of a 270 m2 extension, attached to the Jacob gymnasium, which includes the locker rooms, sanitary facilities and equipment storage rooms, renovation of the Notos accommodation and reception buildings and work to provide accessibility for people with reduced mobility.
According to Pascal Bonnetain, in 2017, the project was launched with three criteria to guide the reflection: “performance, accessibility and energy sobriety”.
A new Athletic Performance and Preparation Center
The inaugural tour focuses on the C2PA and the Notos building. “We train at the bottom and we recover at the top,” says Pascal Bonnetain about the C2PA.
Below: weight training rooms covering 800 m² including a room simulating the altitude of 3,000 meters and another reaching an ambient temperature of 60° to prepare for events taking place in high heat.
Upstairs: a dry space including a massage room, a wet space with five small swimming pools, a sauna for 12 people, another for 35 people, the same for the two hammams, and another cryotherapy cabin ranging from – 40° to -140°.
“This meets the protocols of high-level athletes,” enthuses Pascal Bonnetain. “It is also an educational tool to allow young people to understand how we train.”
The C2PA was financed to the tune of 7.4 million euros by the Burgundy-Franche-Comté Region, 4 million euros by the State and 2.5 million euros by the National Sports Agency .
Renovation of an accommodation building
The Notos student room building, dating from the 1960s, has been renovated to meet three-star hotel standards and accessibility for people with disabilities.
Premises for technical and administrative staff – agents who report to the Burgundy-Franche-Comté Region since 2016 – were also given a facelift and the heating was connected to the metropolitan urban heat network. This energy system will soon be supplemented by a shade of photovoltaic solar panels.
Objective: to welcome foreign teams competing for Paris 2024
Deployed over 23.4 hectares where carbon-free travel is favored, the CREPS infrastructure is dedicated to supporting annual CREPS residents and French teams coming for internships.
However, the site is able to welcome delegations of teams from foreign federations as part of Paris 2024.
Established in a territory already labeled Terre de Jeux, the CREPS was selected by the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games; it now remains to attract the federations by promoting the quality of sports facilities and accommodation.
Claire Tomaselli welcomes “unparalleled dynamism in sport”
A demonstration of the new Olympic discipline of breakdancing by the performers of Figure2Style precedes the speeches.
“At the dawn of the Olympic Games, (…) our territories are showing unrivaled dynamism in terms of sport,” then declares Claire Tomaselli for the City of Dijon. “These facilities are absolutely incredible! (…) Training in the territory of Burgundy-Franche-Comté is nationally recognized regardless of the disciplines.”
“For us, it was a great adventure to build a building for sport, with athletes, with a sporting spirit,” says the architect, speaking on behalf of all those involved in the project management. several representatives of which are in the audience.
“Performance is created, developed and supported everywhere in our territories,” points out Bâbak Amir-Tahmasseb
“This is a significant milestone in the ongoing commitment of this CREPS, within the Grand INSEP network, in favor of supporting high-level sport and performance,” says Bâbak Amir-Tahmasseb, representing the network. Grand INSEP and former kayak world champion. “There is the physical dimension, athleticism, recovery and life balance.”
“Performance is created, developed and supported everywhere in our territories and CREPS Bourgogne-Franche-Comté is a strong player in high-level sport,” insists Bâbak Amir-Tahmasseb.
According to Marie-Guite Dufay, “CREPS has established itself as the key player in high-level sport in Burgundy-Franche-Comté”
“Thanks to this extensive work, (…) the CREPS has established itself as the key player in high-level sport in Burgundy-Franche-Comté; state-of-the-art buildings are now available to athletes” , claims Marie-Guite Dufay who insists on “the research aspect”.
The President of the Region points out that the modernization of CREPS benefited from national funding linked to the organization of the Olympic Games in France and funding from the regional recovery plan following the health crisis.
“This project ticks all the boxes of the eco-conditions that we have established in terms of buildings,” underlines the socialist. “CREPS are working for the future. (…) We have put the maximum resources into ensuring the success of our athletes.”
Franck Robine hails “exceptional equipment”
The prefect begins his intervention with a quote, not textual but visual. The state representative holds up a portrait of General de Gaulle not in uniform but in jogging pants and sneakers. This is a humorous drawing by Jacques Faizant, published in The world and illustrating the “debacle” of French athletes at the Rome Olympics in 1960 – finishing in 25th place among nations, without any gold medal – with this comment: “In this country, if I don’t do everything myself. ..”.
“We can be delighted that we are all together to work for the success of French athletes,” continues Franck Robine, less than a year before Paris 2024. “The CREPS constitutes a regional resource center which will make it possible to draw towards the top all the youth and all the athletes of the region. (…) You have succeeded in setting up exceptional equipment!”
The Region offers places for Paris 2024 to volunteers from sports clubs
Note that the Region has acquired nearly 3,800 places for the Paris 2024 events – half of which for the Paralympic Games – intended for volunteers from sports clubs, “essential links in our sporting society”.
According to Marie-Guite Dufay, “this fantastic national event must serve as a lever to develop a strong regional sports policy in the years to come.”
Jean-Christophe Tardivon
The State and Region’s file on the first phase of work on CREPS Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
#BOURGOGNEFRANCHECOMTÉ #CREPS #established #benchmark #player #highlevel #sport #declares #MarieGuite #Dufay
