TotalEnergies organized a big party in Chaban-Delmas to launch the World Cup in Bordeaux. On the program, among other things, a unique visit to this mythical stadium and astonishing anecdotes from the Girondin ambassadors on the World Cup and the XV of France.
It was with a word of welcome that he described as “irreverent” that the regional director of New Aquitaine Jean-Paul Riquet started the TotalEnergies evening in Bordeaux this Wednesday: “It’s ironic to find ourselves here in Chaban-Delmas when we support the Pau Section. But that says a lot about our involvement in rugby in New Aquitaine!” From there, the evening brought the hundred or so guests into the bowels of this mythical stadium of French sport. The guide is called Alphonse Miralles and it’s history: 56th year at the club, sometimes as a team manager, sometimes with the rugby school. “I’m still viscerally attached to this club. I’m a bit of a dinosaur through CABBG.”
Under the watchful eye of Michel Courtiols, former Béglais champion of France in 1991, “Fonfon” thus takes us into the locker room where Matthieu Jalibert, Maxime Lucu & others spend long moments before matches. And where have legends such as Pelé, Maradona, Platini or Zidane gone?
Then, the passage through the inevitable Chaban tunnel, reputed to be the longest in France. In this confined space, Yves Parlier, rather accustomed to large spaces, comes as founder and president of Beyond the Sea. The sailor from Aquitaine, who took part in three Vendée Globes, is developing “traction systems for boats by kite wings”. One way to illustrate the transformation carried out by TotalEnergies in the energy field. But other start-ups, not necessarily in the sector, were invited as part of their financing by TotalEnergies. This is the case of Hilo, chaired by Cédric Pitault, which specializes in 3D modelling.
The testimonies of Poux, Lamerat and Poirot
Back in front of the main stage after having set foot on the lawn of Chaban-Delmas, the guests watch the ambassadors return to the stage with host Romain Magellan. There, Jean-Baptiste Poux, Rémi Lamerat and Jefferson Poirot evoke their memories of rugby, between club, selection and World Cup. Because this evening event is also there to launch the World Cup in Bordeaux, which will be a host city. “In preparation for the half against England in 2003, our game plan was well oiled, told the former pillar, now scrum coach at UBB. But on the pre-match briefing, a huge downpour falls on the hotel. I read the distress in the eyes of Bernard Laporte. Change of plan! And we unfortunately saw that we were not very serene … “
Rémi Lamerat, not retained in extremis in the group of the 2015 World Cup, testified: “It was a huge disappointment to leave the guys with whom I had worked for two months, even more than the fact of not participating in the World Cup, when it will remain as a void in my career.” “It’s silly but when Louis Picamoles joined us at UBB, I was happy as if a longtime friend was coming, expressed Jefferson Poirot. The bonds created by these moments in the France team are very strong.”
Later, the quiz between the different teams gives a “competitive” twist to the evening and proves that Paul Couet-Lannes, the director of the Bordeaux site for France 2023, is well aware of local and national rugby. Jean-Paul Riquet will give the final word by thanking “this essential collective for TotalEnergies” made up of the partners, institutions and ambassadors present.
The interview: Jean-Paul Riquet (New-Aquitaine Regional Director of TotalEnergies)
The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region enjoys an important cultural place in the world of rugby and in the history of TotalEnergies.
What does this evening represent for you?
This evening, which is a stage on the way to this World Cup that everyone is impatiently awaiting, celebrates TotalEnergies’ commitment alongside the world of rugby. Rugby is an integral part of the history of TotalEnergies. But also that of its collaborators, since many are those who play as amateurs or are supporters of this sport. In Nouvelle-Aquitaine, this land of rugby, the Company has been proud to support the Section Paloise for more than 30 years and to be a major partner of the World Cup in France, some matches of which will be played in Bordeaux.
How is Nouvelle-Aquitaine a special territory for TotalEnergies?
The South-West, with the Lacq basin in the 1950s, the Jean-Féger scientific and technical center (CSTJF) in Pau, which since 1985 has brought together many of our researchers, engineers and technicians, make New Aquitaine one of the company cradles. The strong cultural identities of this region, which are also expressed in village rugby, make it a land of diversity of extraordinary richness, which echoes our values of respect for others and solidarity.
Precisely, beyond rugby, what are the advantages of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in the field of energy?
It has 3 fundamental advantages for the energy transition. It is the largest region in France. More than 400 km between the Hameau and Marcel Deflandre stadiums. It therefore has significant land potential to develop photovoltaic power plants. TotalEnergies operates nearly thirty of them capable of supplying approximately 200,000 inhabitants. It is a considerable coastline of more than 900 km, which offers prospects for offshore wind power. Finally, it is the largest agricultural region in France, implying the existence of significant deposits of agricultural waste, which constitute the raw material for biogas production. This translates concretely into the opening in 2022 of our 3th unit in the region, the aptly named BioBéarn, which is the largest in France. Saft’s three factories and worldwide R&D center make the region a center for the battery industry in France.
New Aquitaine is therefore an essential place for energy transition, just as it is essential for the world of oval racing?…
Absolutely, the energy transition involves territories and a wide range of solutions. To succeed in this transformation of the energy system, TotalEnergies shares with rugby a common vision of the collective, where the collective goes beyond the team and also embraces coaches, physical trainers, families, associations, local communities. It is a school of life. The TotalEnergies Foundation thus supports the Drop de Béton association in New Aquitaine, which aims to use Rugby as a vehicle for social and professional integration among young people in priority neighbourhoods.
- TotalEnergies, one of the major players in the 2023 World Cup
“TotalEnergies has been associated with the world of the oval ball for more than 30 years, with which we share common values such as solidarity, respect for others, a taste for performance. As an official sponsor of the Cup of the World 2023, we want to be part of this extraordinary celebration, and these evenings kind of kick off in each region with our stakeholders and collaborators”explains Pascal Breton, head of the France 2023 partnership at TotalEnergies. “It is quite natural that our Company participates in this competition in its own way and contributes to making it a unique moment of celebration and sharing around a common passion”.
2023-04-25 03:58:17
#TotalEnergies #launches #Mondial #Bordeaux
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