Jean-Paul Bulgaridhes pays tribute to sports and the city of Villeneuve-Loubet with his book, “Un Siècle de Sport à Villeneuve-Loubet.”
The book tells the story of a sports history to which he contributed, first as director of the city’s sports department from 2001 to 2014, and then as deputy mayor Lionel Luca’s sports delegate during his previous term.
“I didn’t want to tell my life story at all,” he insists. Instead, he prefers to focus on the history of the Étoile Sportive de Villeneuve-Loubet (ESVL), founded in 1922. “I had the idea in 2022, for the club’s 100th anniversary,” he reveals. “I wanted to write a memorial of this club’s history.”
Jean-Paul Bulgaridhes believes in “the importance of memory, even in sports.” He collaborates on this project with Bernard Maccario, president of the French Pierre de Coubertin Committee and author of several sports-related books. Together, they interviewed current sports club presidents and researched the city archives and newspapers.
The result is a condensed account of 100 years of sports practices, from bowling games and Provencal ball to the structures that now shape young athletes. The book contains “an entirely historical section, and a section dedicated to current clubs,” explains Jean-Paul Bulgaridhes.
His book, which he self-financed, is published by the Niçois publishing house Editions Gilletta.
Talking about sports is something Jean-Paul Bulgaridhes excels at. An avid weightlifter, he started “writing about sports” as early as the 1960s. He also spent years reporting on sports events in the Niçois region for local newspapers.
His career also led him to become the president of the French Weightlifting Federation and the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, with which he participated in several Olympic Games. It is his lifelong passion for sports that drove him to write and publish this book. “Sports have always been my life,” he affirms with a smile.
Context: This article covers the launch of Jean-Paul Bulgaridhes’ book, which documents a century of sports history in Villeneuve-Loubet. Fact Check: The French Pierre de Coubertin Committee promotes sports values and participation.
