Magnifique!
About 500 French-speaking students from around the province will compete in a two-day sports tournament in Lac La Biche County in 2019.
The 25th Alberta Francophone Games will feature basketball, soccer, badminton, volleyball, ball hockey, ultimate Frisbee, kinball and track and field, with events taking place in the Bold Center, Aurora and St. Catherine’s School. There will also be opening and closing ceremonies open to the public.
At last Tuesday’s County Council meeting, Mayor Omer Moghrabi talked up the importance of the May 10-12 meet, which is seen as a potential tourism boost for the area.
“It will be a big event,” he said.
County councillors approved unanimously Moghrabi’s motion to allocate $15,000 in sponsorship funding as part of the 2019 budget – $2,500 more than Administration had recommended. The money will cover rental costs of the Bold Center ($4,000); referee and honorariums ($4,000); promotion ($2,000); participant clothing ($3,000) and Saturday evening entertainment ($2,000).
The tournament is being organized by the Federation du Sport Francophone de l’Alberta (FSFA), an organization that aims to promote access to sports and wellness programs for francophone and French immersion youth in Alberta. Participation is limited to French-speaking students between ages 12 and 18, who will come from nine regions, including Lethbridge, Red Deer, Calgary, Jasper, Cold Lake, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Falher and Grande-Prairie.
It is estimated 100 will be from the Lac La Biche, Plamondon and Bonnyville area.
Participants must register through the FSFA website: www.lafsfa.ca.
Hockey, volleyball and basketball will be among sports held at the Bold Center, May 10-12, between 7am and 11.30pm; kinball will be played at St. Catherine School, May 11-12, 7am-6pm; and there will be a soccer tournament at Aurora School, May 11-12, 7am-6pm. There will also be music, visual arts, theatre and culinary arts events at JAWS.
In a report to Council, municipal administrators said the games could boost tourism, bringing in competitors and up to 150 volunteers, who will contribute in such positions as coaches, referees, drivers, a food coordinator, a welcoming committee, social events organizer, security agents, accreditation agents.
“This will be an opportunity to make a strong first impression and showcase Lac La Biche County as a destination for events and aligns well with Council’s priorities of promoting tourism,” the report noted.
Lac La Biche was chosen to host the games after an application by the Conseil Scolaire Centre-Est to the FSFA.
“The FSFA intends to plan and deliver the event in coordination with the French school board and other local organizations,” the report notes. “The organization has indicated that past financial contributions from host municipalities range between $10,000 and $20,000.”
The event will be used as a selection camp for the Canadian Francophone Games in Victoria in July 2020.
The most recent Alberta Francophone Games were hosted Edmonton this past May.
To find out more about the upcoming games, click here.
