INTERVIEW. It is a warning signal for gyms and fields to remain sanctuaries…, interp

For its second edition, “Let’s put an end to violence” was a resounding success. Beyond the red line drawn on the face, a strong message was conveyed throughout France.

Marco, let’s remember, this initiative was born last year on the initiative of your district 31!

I had seen this initiative in Belgium and found it very interesting. So why not do it here? We started during the first edition last year with football only, and we had Leagues and Districts that were committed, that followed us. Unfortunately, we could not quantify the number of clubs or sports structures that had participated in this action.

This year, you were able to measure this participation with a downloadable file for clubs. What is the result?

Yes, with the Occitanie regional Olympic and sports committee and the thirteen departmental committees, we managed to have statistics closer to reality. For now, we have recorded a participation of about 3,000 sports structures. This is almost ten times more than last year.

What was the observation you made before launching this action?

The observation is that we have these famous societal ills that enter the disciplines. More significantly in some than in others, but ultimately, all are affected, even disciplines we do not suspect. And it is really with our youth that this action was born. For those who are starting out. They see these sports activities as a way to have fun, to exchange, to escape sometimes. Unfortunately, it is mainly adults who seize them and turn them into places of conflict, rivalry, social climbing, which is not the purpose of sport. So it is more of an alert signal through this red line, so that gyms, fields remain sanctuaries.

You wanted clubs to be active in this action, are you satisfied?

Yes, we did not just want to put up a poster in a gym or in a locker room. Here, we really wanted each club to invent an action in its structure with its members. A short film, a video, a photo, for them to really embrace this action. We had some great things, no matter the sport. The power of this action is for the sports actors to embrace it. With that, they are fully involved and it impacts them directly. Of course, there is the symbolism with the red line on the face, but we did not impose anything, and everyone can create their own action. It also allowed everyone to talk about the violence they know. We know physical violence, but we also talk about racism, homophobia, the distress that everyone may experience.

Then, beyond football, this year you wanted it to extend to all sports. Have the other disciplines been receptive?

Yes, this was a big innovation. Opening it up to all sports, whether collective or individual. And it paid off, as even more people joined us. We had the UNFP (National Union of Professional Footballers), professional referees’ unions, regional committees all over France were able to relay this action. We also had new categories join us, not only in football. Fred Quercy, for example, the captain of US Montauban. But also an international basketball referee and a 3×3 international basketball player, so these are some great satisfactions.

Context:
This article discusses the success of the “Let’s put an end to violence” initiative in sporting clubs across France in combating societal ills entwined within the sports culture.

Fact Check:
The initiative aims to combat violence, racism, and other societal issues in sports clubs, encouraging active participation from clubs and members to create a safe and respectful environment within the sports community.